Army Wolf
by Angela Evil
Summary: Wolf!Eren, possible future pairings, Despite Eren being only half wolf, his pack was more than willing to accept Grisha's pup. While most of the youths days were spent with his human mother and friends, at night he would slip away and hunt with his pack. His peaceful years are ended abruptly by the appearance of the Colossal Titan. Swearing/Violence/Titans
1. Chapter 1

**Hang tight. This is a long set up. I'm trying my hand at omniscient so, no *POV this time.**

Chapter 1: The World That Fell

The sleepy chill of early forest morning sunk through Eren's fur and pooled on the tip of his nose. Sounds and scents of the stirring woods were muffled by the small river rushing by just over a rocky edge, tumbling headlong down to Shiganshina. His brown grey fur shifted as the waterfall's spray clung to it while he greedily lapped up the babbling current, ears on a swivel for even a hint of danger. A twig snapped behind him. The young wolf's white muzzle shot up, body tense and ready for a fight. Grisha's scent flooding into his open mouth, sending a wave of relaxation through him, as he raised his tail up in salutation. His father shouldered his way through the bracken and padded up to Eren, claws tapping lightly over the smooth stones.

The younger bowed his head, gently mouthing his father's shoulder in greeting, while Grisha groomed down a stubborn tuffet behind Eren's ear. "It's almost time, my son," the elder growled gently.

"I know!" Eren barked, taking a half step back, tail wagging uncontrollably, and jumping up slightly. "I can't wait! My first hunt as a full member of the pack. Just wait," he dropped into an excited crouch, amber eyes fixed on his father, "I'll take down the biggest buck in the woods!"

Grisha gave a soft chuckle and a toothy grin. "Good. Keep that energy up, Eren. Once the sun passes over the horizon, it'll be time to go."

Eren a bit too hyper for his own good, lept onto his father, playfully biting at the larger wolf's jaw and legs. Of course the elder would not allow the over energetic pup run all over him. The two wrestled, yapping happily. Grisha managed to seize what remained of Eren scruff and force him down.

A bright feminine laugh curled onto the rocky bank. A woman with long dark brown hair, gathered up to the side and bright eyed, walked out of the trees, a picnic basket in one hand and a dog bone in the other. "Having fun you two?" She knelt down before settling on a large rock. Grisha let his pup up and the youngster bounded over to his mother. He walked over and lay down beside her. She stroked his head with her right hand and embraced Eren with her left.

"Mom!" Eren shouted in the tongue of man, nuzzling into her shoulder and lapping at her face.

"Ah, my beautiful boys, look at you!" she scratched behind Eren's ears. "Here," the bone pulled up in his vision and he grabbed it with his teeth, "Happy tenth* birthday!" His mother did not release the bone immediately, instead pulling at it, shaking it, and playing tug of war with Eren. When he succeeded in claiming his prize he raced a pace or so away and flopped down to gnaw on his treat.

Grisha gently took her hand in his mouth to get her attention. "Carla, my love," Grisha's voice held more of his wild ascent then Eren's smoother tone, "I'm worried. With Eren's becoming a member of the pack it is more than likely he will be attacked by humans. I don't think his heart can take it." He spoke quietly so that his son would not hear.

Carla smiled knowingly at him, "I feel the same. He's not as big as the other direwolves. Mankind is less likely to run in terror than to shoot him. But I have a plan," she pulled the picnic basket up and flipped open the lid. Inside was a black, studded leather collar with an adjustable strap and some elastic sections every two inches. There was even a tag with Carla's address in Shiganshina. "This shouldn't affect his hunting ability and also prevent hunters, farmers, and the like from shooting him."

"Hmm, Eren does look somewhat like a German Shepherd from a distance." Grisha respond jokingly, his tail flicked slightly in concern.

"I also need you to check in on a friend of mine, Doctor Ackerman."

"The biologist?"

"Yes, specifically his wife, Kimiko**"

"Hmm," Grisha looked to his son, happily chomping the bone to bits, "they have a daughter Eren's age right? I think it might be good if I bring him along. It'll give him a good lesson on human families. It wouldn't do to stunt his social development with humans." Carla patted his head lovingly and he looked over at his mate. "I'll see if I can't find some more Henkan no hana and wolf's bane. I'll need to restock soon anyway."

Henkan no hana, colloquially known as metamorphosis flowers, were rare even in a forest like this. Consuming the petals would allow for brief transformations but only when coupled with other herbs that directed the change. Eren didn't need to eat them because he was already half human but Grisha, being a full blooded direwolf, couldn't transform on his own. If the flower's bulb was dried and sliced before being mixed into a salve with aloe it could heal almost any physical damage.

Grisha's position as the pack's healer gave him extensive medical knowledge of plants and using the Henkan no hana had given him the opportunity to learn about mankind's medicine as well. Eren was expected to one day fill his role so when he wasn't teaching him how to hunt, he was teaching him how to heal. His boy was a warrior at heart though, so making him focus on the practical application of plants was more than a little trying. The rare flower however, was a subject of intense focus for the young wolf and he had a knack for finding it. "Eren," Grisha called, still speaking as a man would, "come here."

Eren rose to his paws, ears forward, tail up, and head tilted slightly to the left. He came over to his parents before sitting at attention. With both Grisha and Eren side by side, the height difference became apparent. While the younger was clearly larger than the normal canines, standing about three and a half feet at the shoulder, his father was closer to four foot seven inches. Even Grisha was considered a slight bit smaller than the average direwolf. Both could look Carla in the eye without craning their necks back. It made the human feel small.

"Eren," his mother spoke smoothly, "I have another present for you. You'll be going with Grisha to see Dr Ackerman and his family after your hunt today, so I wanted you to have this." The older wolf nudged the basket closer to Eren with his muzzle while Carla spoke, "If you ever get lost, someone can help you come home, and you won't have to worry about someone shooting at you."

The air around Eren shimmered as his wolf form shrunk into a tan fur-less, human child. Dark brown hair, slightly lighter than his mother's, stuck out at odd angles and his eye changed into a bluish hazel. The boy, now much smaller than both of his parents and entirely without clothes, plucked the collar from his mother's basket and busied himself it putting it on. At Carla's gentle advice he left it larger than what he thought he would need, just in case, and began playing with the metal tag. "This feels weird." he complained only briefly before his mother wrapped a burgundy scarf around his neck.

"We can use this to hide the collar if you want."

"Thanks." Eren was more than happy to receive his mother's scarf. Her scent still permeated the fabric. Pulling the cloth loose his eyes flashed gold before he again became a wolf. Everything fit perfectly and Carla, with Grisha's advice, tucked the scarf so that it wouldn't catch on anything.

 _After the hunt_

"Did you see me dad!" Eren exclaimed bouncing excitedly in the wagon seat. His father in human form steered the horse along a winding country road up into the mountains. One hand stroked the trimmed beard and mustache, glasses perched on his nose causing it to twitch occasionally. Unlike his bubbly son, Grisha didn't feel at home in a human body, clothing was foreign and itchy and his eyes were much to dull for his liking. This general discontentment was hidden behind a very neutral, reserved expression. To most outsiders it would seem like he was merely tolerating the exuberant boy but their bond was far too deep and primal for human understanding. They were a pack, a family.

He smiled and patted Eren's head. He laughed along with his pup, recounting the pack's hesitance upon seeing his scarf and their impressed, pleased surprise when Eren tackled a large ram, downing it by himself. Not even most adults would risk a mountain ram's horns but Eren was even more wily than the others, lying in a bush down wind, waiting for the ram to get close, before shooting out and seizing its jugular in his jaws. Direwolves are strong, enduring creatures, a fact that Grisha quickly forgets when it comes to his son. It was Eren's hunt that reminded him that his son was more than just Carla's little boy. He had inherited from his father more than a direwolf's shape.

"I'm still impressed you thought of that take down so quickly." Grisha smiled at Eren's beaming face.

"Ha, ha! Yep," he leaned back, the forest green shirt sliding down one of his shoulders, "I'm amazing."

"Oh," Grisha teased, "I wouldn't go that far."

"Awww," before Eren could continue the adult pulled the wagon to an abrupt stop. Both sniffed the air for a moment. "T-that smells like…"

"Blood." He spurred the horse forward at a gallop. The Ackerman residence was at the top of the hill. Dusk was starting to settle. The scent was fresh.

When they pulled up beside the cabin Grisha pushed open the door. Both Mr and Mrs Akerman were dead. The wounds were clearly fatal. The bodies were slightly warm. "Eren stay he-" Grisha turned and with horror realized that his son had sprinted off into the wood following the attacker's trail. A panic unlike he had ever known seized his heart. As a wolf, Eren was strong, but as a boy? "Eren!" Grisha shouted into the enclosing darkness, growling at his own helplessness.

Eren was faster and stronger than the average human. His senses were stronger too. While his father couldn't follow the murders' trail with the haste required, Eren could, and he would. Grisha would no doubt follow him but wouldn't be able to keep up. Before the sun dipped behind the horizon, Eren reached a small shack. There were three people inside, he could smell them. Two male adults, one female child. His grip tightened on the knife. He had taken it from the mother's body when Grisha examined the father.

He could hear the men talking as he approached the door and tucked the knife behind his back. _Surprise your prey,_ he remembered his father's lessons, _always go for the kill. Never hesitate. Target the throat before they have time to react._ He knocked. The men stopped. One hesitantly opened the door. Eren played innocent. _Just like the ram,_ he mused. His eyes flashed gold as he slashed the knife through the human's neck. He fell to the floor dying in seconds. Eren slid the door closed and retreated into a closet across the hall. Finding twine he quickly fashioned a spear using a broom. He braced himself and charged the second the door moved. The other man didn't have time to react either as the knife plunged into his stomach. He fell back, raising a hand as if to beg for mercy. Eren would give him none. The girl watched in horror as Eren plunged the blade again and again into the adult's torso. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes. Eren had just killed two humans.

The brunette looked at the dead men's prisoner, the amber tint fading from his hazel eyes. Her own, dark and full of fear, like a rabbit. He stood and made his way over to her. "You're Mikasa, right? I'm Eren Jaeger, Dr Grisha's son. We came here to treat your mom, remember?" She noded while he cut her bindings.

When she sat up she gasped prompting the young man to look at her. She whispered, it would have been barely audible if Eren was fully human. "There were three of them." He froze, blood running cold.

The final assailant gave a surprise gasp from the open door fixing his eyes on Eren, bloody knife still in the boy's hand.

He was in the air, being strangled, it was hard to speak. He needed help. Mikasa's eyes met with his own. "F-fight!"

The girl picked up the knife and froze.

He had given a short speech but couldn't remember what he just said. The edges of his vision went black.

There was a loud snap and a female scream.

The man's grip loosened on Eren's throat. He had been stabbed.

Mikasa finished him coldly once they fell.

Eren stared at the girl for a long moment, overcome by a strange feeling. He was sure, if Mikasa was a wolf too, he would choose her as his mate in a heartbeat. He coughed for a half a minute, trying to make his lungs work again. She took his hand and helped Eren to his feet. The knife was still in her hand. It took a little consoling but he got her to drop it on the blood slicked wooden floor. Her hand still in his, Eren guided her from the shack. Grisha was waiting for them outside. He was tired from running after Eren. It was already night.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" he snapped at the two children, "You could have been killed!"

"I couldn't do nothing!" Eren defended. "The Military Police wouldn't have gotten here in time."

"Eren," Grisha's voice was hard and stern, "do you not realize what you've done."

The youth replied stonely, "I put down two dangerous animals."

Grisha sighed.

Eren was luck that everything turned out alright in the end. The MPs arrived on the scene a short time later and the children's actions were deemed self defence. Since Mikasa had nowhere to go, Grisha offered her a home with Carla saying that Eren was going to take good care of her. This was his punishment for killing humans, he had to be one. His first act was to wrap his mother's scarf around Mikasa, she was shivering and needed it more than he did. Mikasa stared at his collar and then at him, a slight pink flowing into her cheeks.

 _Two years later_

Eren was still allowed to be a wolf, but it had to be a secret from his new friend. Most of his time with the pack was mitigated to hunting or learning from Grisha. He couldn't play with the others anymore. It's not that he was isolated, quite the opposite, he was surrounded by his pack but everyone felt distant. Killing humans in self defence wasn't taboo or anything but Grisha had spoken to the Alpha about Eren's unique situation. He was encouraged to spend more time with his human friends 'for his own benefit'.

Leading a double life also lead to him getting sleep when and where he could, spending most nights with the pack and most days with Mikasa and his mother. His antics, such as diving head first into trouble, drew attention from the Stationary guards, specifically the almost constantly drunk Hanes. Another boy he was close with, Armin, would get bullied so Eren, and by extension Mikasa, would always come to his rescue. This became a running joke of sorts with those stationed in Shiganshina. They would call Eren the 'Guard Dog' because of his stubborn alertness, Armin 'General' because of his strategic mind, and Mikasa 'Super Soldier' as she was the strongest and most competent of the trio.

 _Events in accordance with the first episode of AoT and the titan invasion on Shiganshina occur as normal, with the exception that Eren is only a little bit stronger physically. Two children still can't lift the weight needed, his mother is devoured anyway._

 _ **Army Training Camp: One year after the 104th joins military training.**_

Eren yawned and stretched before reaching up to scratch at his collar. Every day he rose promptly at five a.m., well before the other cadets, took a shower, and put the cream colored scarf Mikasa had given him for his twelfth birthday over his collar. Not even Armin knew that he wore the leather band around his neck.

They were in the mountains during winter. With six cadets to a room it became even more difficult to get a good night sleep. Between Reiner's snoring, Armin's muttering, and Jean's sleep talking about Mikasa it became habit for the brunette to sleep outside. The snow he didn't mind and the wind was only a little annoying. As he got older he gain a mastery over partial transformation to the point where he would sometime do it without noticing. Up here in the cold mountains where humans walked around in heavy coats, Eren strolled from one building to another completely unfazed by the biting chill. He even heard some gossip about his unnatural affinity for cold amongst the more superstitious cadets. They created such fantastical stories it honestly made him laugh.

Eren looked at the bunk above him. Armin was muttering something about "Mr. Whiskers and how now was not the time for… something or other." _Just Armin being weird again,_ he thought, sighing and itching a spot on his stomach. _Hope I'm not getting fleas._

He swung his legs off the bed and carefully set his feet down on the frosted wood floor. He actually slept through the night this time which surprised him. Reiner tossed and turned on the lower bunk next to him. Bertholdt was muttering something in his sleep on the top bunk. Horseface had the bottom bunk just beyond with Connie on the one above him. The smaller cadet jumped up suddenly with a shrill voice. "Don't eat me!" he shouted. All the other boys stirred and woke. Eren quietly cursed his luck. He wouldn't be able to escape the questions about his morning routine or how, unlike the others dressed in sweatpants and sweaters, he was able to sleep comfortably in just his boxers and a scarf.

"Dammit, Connie!" Jean snapped, "I was just getting to the good part."

Eren didn't want to know.

Reiner looked over at Eren's bed, expecting it to be empty, only to gape at the brunette's irritated face. "Guy's, check it out, Eren's actually here this time!" All eyes in the room turned towards Eren. He glared at Connie. The smaller boy shrunk back.

"You just had to wake everyone up, didn't you."

"Sorry. I couldn't help it. I had a nightmare."

"What was it about?" Armin asked, shifting attention back to Connie.

"Well, there was this big ass wolf, right. Fucking huge. Like four, four and a half feet tall. An' he was looking at me from behind a tree out on the mountain side. Looked almost like a timberwolf. Greyish brown with gold eyes. Now, it was snarling at me and I was like, 'fuck this man, I'm not about to become this things dinner' but as soon as I try to bolt the thing starts chasing me. It's fucking fast man and I'm running for my life through the forest. It jumps on me. I woke up right before it could take a bite out of my face."

"Four feet, hu?" Jean said, sounding very unimpressed.

"Dude, you realize timberwolves are 2'8" tops right?" Reiner wanted to make sure Jean was taking the right considerations for size.

"Yeah, Great danes are about 3'10," right?" Bertholdt prodded.

"The wolf from Connie's dream would be about the size of a small horse," Armin added.

"I know, and it's bullshit." Jean's rebuttal was quick and biting. "There is no way wolves that size exist."

"I've seen one." Eren, who had remained quiet despite the rising fear in his gut, finally spoke. All eyes turned to him in disbelief. "They roamed around in the woods outside my hometown. Armin's never seen one 'cause they only really hunt at night. They're called direwolves. My mom and Dr. Ackerman, Mikasa's dad, used to study them." Even though common sense screamed at him to shut up and let them believe that direwolves weren't real, Connie's description sounded damn near identical to himself in wolf form. The golden eyes gave it away. As far as Eren knew only Grisha and himself had golden eyes, his packmates all had very brown eyes.

"R-realy?" Armin looked nervous.

"Yeah, I got to name one." Eren needed to make sure that if anyone caught him as a wolf, even with the collar on, that they wouldn't try to kill him. Speaking the human language as a wolf was unacceptable so he did the first thing he could think of, make an excuse. "He was a puppy when I met him, but he was already bigger than any dog I'd seen. We call him Sharp, looks a lot like how Connie described him actually."

"I don't believe a word you're saying." Horseface came in flatly.

"Yeah, that's all a bit hard to swallow." Reiner added.

"Eren," Armin leaned down over the railing suddenly very concerned, "Is it possible that Sharp could follow you? I mean, wolves are pack animals so it's unlikely, but, if he thinks you're a member of his pack it's possible he would follow you….so?"

"There's a reason we called him Sharp, Armin. That wolf is a fucking mastermind." He stood suddenly and stretched again, the urge to run away before things got worse gnawing at his stomach. "Welp, I'm gonna take a cold shower," he grabbed some clothes from his footlocker, "see, you at breakfast."

Training for that day was comparatively lax. It wasn't until late evening that the cadets found out that the caravan delivering food was delayed by a snowstorm. Sasha was crying for hours. Everyone else was grumbling. Eren wouldn't have minded if breakfast consisted of more than a single slice of bread and half a cup of water. He and his roommates were shut up in their quarters at seven p.m., snow coming down in rapid flurries. They wouldn't be eating the next day either at this rate. "Ugh, dammit," Connie muttered into his pillow, "Why can't we just bag a deer or something. We're in the mountains for crying out loud."

"Would you shut up," Jean growled, "we are all hungry, cold, and pissed."

Eren, who had been lying on his bed, sat up. _Why didn't I think of that before?_ "I'm going for a walk." He grabbed his coat but before he could leave Bertholdt seized his forearm, a concerned look on his face.

"Eren, you shouldn't go out there in this weather. It's bad enough Ymir and Crista went out there looking for that other guy. We don't need more of the 104th getting lost in this storm."

"I'll be fine." Eren deadpanned, yanking his arm free and rushing out before they could follow. He knew he should have listened to Bertholdt, that the others would follow his tracks into the mountains, but he was to hungry to care.

"Eren!" he could hear Armin call out.

Before long camp was not even a light in the valley. Snow flicked into his eyes. Eren shook his head to clear the snow from his hair. Noseing his way along the treeline he found a hollow tree in which to stow his things. Not wanting to ruin his clothes, Eren quickly stripped down to nothing but his collar. The wind bit into his skin and he shivered as thick fur raced over his body. Soon Eren was in his wolf form, the elastic on the collar giving it the extra stretch it needed not to choke him. With the snow falling quickly his tracks would vanish as well. Convenient if he didn't want to be followed, not so much if he wanted to hunt. A quick huff of warm air rushed out of his mouth, carried away by the wind.

Eren returned his attention to the tree, building a false drift to hide his belongings and, padding around to the other side, marked the tree with his scent to find it later. The snow at the tree's base was tinted yellow and steamed a bit. Finding his work satisfactory, the wolf Eren moved on to hunt.

Armin had convinced the other to go after Eren into the storm. They were ten minutes behind him and lost his tracks five meters from the marked tree. Jean pointed out that calling Eren would be pointless in this weather. Splitting up would be equally as dangerous. So the five boys wandered, searching for Jaeger.

Eren had tracked three humans for a short distance. He didn't know who the scents belonged to until a pool of lamplight flashed over his face. Christa, dragging a sled with an unconscious boy on it, followed by Ymir. Both of the girls froze, fear in their eyes when they saw Eren. He had grown sizably since he was ten, standing 4'3" at the shoulder. His head was lowered as he had been sniffing at the snow trying to locate hibernating animals. With the sudden light his ears perked forward and he raised his head. He looked the two in the eyes before padding forward. Despite his intimidating appearance he was still concerned for the girls well being.

Christa froze, taking a sharp breath in when Eren approached her. Ymir looked about ready to fight to the death if necessary. The wolf tried to keep his posture as friendly as possibly. Tail up and wagging, tongue lolling out to the side, like a giant puppy. She hesitated before reaching a hand out to Eren. He obliged her expectations by sniffing it, his tongue darting out to warm her frigid fingers. Christa giggled and petted his shoulders. Her face lit up in wonder. "He's so warm! Ymir, come feel this." The other girl crept towards Eren and he patiently let the girls warm their hands in his fur. He had time and resources they did not and it would kill him if he didn't offer any help. He made a few vocalizations to get their attention, even grabbed at the sled's rope with his teeth tugging it in the direction he came from. Neither of them seemed to understand so he adopted a hunting dog's pointer stance.

Ymir gave an exclamation of realization, "He's showing us where to go."

Feeling he did his part in helping and his growing hunger, Eren barked a good by.

"Wait!" Christa exclaimed rushing over to the retreating wolf and hugging his great neck, "Thank you." As soon as she let go, Eren took off into the trees at full speed. Christa looked over at Ymir dumbfounded. "It had a collar." Ymir's eyes widened as they both stared into the storm after the wolf.

Eren continued on for another ten or so minutes. His nose flooded with a familiar musty smell that caused his mouth to water. Deer. Lots of them. A large herd of about twenty individuals crowded together, stripping tree bark and grazing on what remained of frigid grass. He studied his prey for week members, yearling, the sick, or elderly. Even a slower mover could be a target. Once he selected his meal, Eren carefully skirted the clearing. A snap alerted the herd, but Eren was not the source. Not about to let his meal slip away the wolf burst from the undergrowth. The deer scattered. Eren hard on the flanks of his target. He heard a collection human yells. A small human figure ducked into a hollow. The deer leapt over it but stumbled. Eren was ontop of it, seizing its neck like a vice, gripping and shaking until the deer stopped moving.

"Holy shit!" It was Connie who he and the deer vaulted over but Eren couldn't care less. Hot blood slid over his tongue and he eagerly ripped into the carcass. "Did you guys see that. It just jumped over me like I was some kind of hurdle."

"Whoa, that thing's alpha, look at the size of it!" Reiner knelt down next to Connie who was still staring in mixed terror and awe at the massive wolf.

"I don't believe it," Jean said, "it's a wolf the size of a fucking horse."

"H-hey," Bertholdt, shook Reiner's shoulder, "i-is that a collar?"

Eren's tail flicked back and forth as he tore through flesh and crunched bone, finally looking up at the stunned, cold reddened faces of his friends. He raised his bloodstained muzzle and howled, causing them to jump back. He drew his tongue over the sticky fur looking right at Connie. He bent down and with a few tugs tore the entire back right leg of the doe. Eren walk right up to the huddled boys and dropped the severed limb on Connie's lap as a thank you for the idea. The tiny boy grunted when the leg fell on him. Armin probably thought Eren didn't notice him edging closer. He let the boy get within a foot before barking loudly at the others. Armin fell over in surprise and Bertholdt surprised Eren in turn by rushing forward and grabbing the collar. He yelped despite himself and while he could easily throw the young man off, didn't actually want to hurt him, opting instead to release his weight, flopping down on top of him.

"Gah!"

"Bertholdt!" Reiner rushed forward, Eren laughed internally as the two boys tried to pry him up.

"Sharp?" Armin said. He was on his knees, leaning forward in fascination. Eren barked in reply, flipping up into a lounging position and off of Bertholdt.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Jean said.

"This collar has an address from Shiganshina on it."

"Really, let me see," Armin crawled forward, "yeah, this is Eren's old address."

"So, Jaeger wasn't shitting us?" Connie didn't seem so much surprised as he was impressed.

"I guess that explains his manners," Jean retorted, "being raised by wolves and all."

Eren growled. Jean wisely took three steps back.

"Whatever man, I think it's awesome! These thing are real!" Connie, Reiner, and Bertholdt began discussing how to cook the venison. Armin and Jean stared at Eren while he went back to picking apart the remains.

By the time they got a fire going all of the cadets were cold and huddling around the cooking meat, pulling off strips as soon as they were done. The overhang that they found was left open to the wind so Eren planted himself in the entrance. The five boys were laughing and joking, momentarily forgetting the world's worries. Armin was the only one that remained withdrawn.

"Hey, what's the matter, Armin?" Bertholdt leaned over to the blonde.

"It's Eren. Did you all really forget that he's still out in this?"

Everyone fell silent. The wolf perked his ears up.

"Hey, Sharp," Armin turned to him suddenly, "can you find Eren?" The two stared for a moment before Eren stood and began walking away. "Hey! Wait!" He could hear the sound of the fire being squelched. The five followed the massive wolf all the way back to the tree he marked. Just as before he adopted a pointing stance, directing them back to camp. "That way?" Eren barked.

"Okay." Connie dropped what was left of the leg into the snow.

Once they all had left Eren retrieved his belongings, bundled them between his teeth, and sprinted down the mountain just avoiding the others. He snuck into the cabin showers, dropped his things, and returned to his human shape. Blood smeared on his face felt sticky and gross. Fortunately it didn't get on his clothes. The youth turned a few faucets and hot water came spurting out the shower head. Eren ran fingers through his hair and scrubbed his face.

"Eren?" Armin's voice echoed into the showers. Eren looked over the chest high walls towards the entrance.

"Oh, hey, Armin. What are you doing here?" The brunette took a quick glance at his things, making sure that the collar was hidden.

"Where did you go running off to?"

"Eh? I went out into the woods for a bit and then came back. Why?"

The blonde gave an exasperated sigh. Connie burst in the room after him. "Eren, you won't believe this! We saw it!"

"Hu?"

"The direwolf you were talking about! Sharp! We found him."

"Really?" Eren rubbed some shampoo into his hair, feigning surprise. "Don't know why he wouldn't say hi to me then…"

He had them fooled well enough and new rumors about the "suicidal bastard" would circulate. _Well at least I don't have anything else to hide._

 ***See the "Wolf Children" movie: a wolf is an adult at ten years old**

 ****Mikasa's mother's name is not given in the Anime or Manga (that I know of) so I picked something that I think fits what little we see of her character**


	2. Chapter 2

**To Guest: "I am the King of references"**

 **The story of Attack on Titan is not changed in any significant way. Any time skipped plays out as in the original story. I will skip the battle of Trost until Eren waking up after having shifted into a titan. K, thanks, bye.**

Chapter 2: Lies and Fangs

The dream like memories that drifted through Eren's head shattered into harsh reality. He was leaning on Armin; Mikasa stood between the boys and a large group of soldiers. They were afraid, pointing the anti-titan blades the three cadets. Murmurs of 'Monster' and "Titan' passed in waves from their mouths. "Eren," Mikasa turned back to the boys, still maintaining her defencive position, "are you alright?"

"W-what's going on?"

Before Mikasa could answer the garrison's captain stepped forward. Eren flinched at the gaunt man's scent. He reeked of fear and his movements were anxious. "Eren Jaeger!" He shouted, the strain in his voice palpable, hitting every one of Eren's predatory instincts. "Are you a Titan or human?"

"I'm human," he didn't even need to think. The answer was so natural and so obvious, why did he feel like it was a lie?

However, the man was to afraid, to worried about preserving his own life. He ordered the cannon to be fired. Mikasa acted in an instant, dragging him out of the way but Armin wasn't so fortunate. A primal instinct surged through Eren. He would not allow his pack to die; Mikasa, Armin, Reiner, Connie, Sasha, Christa, Yirm, Bertholdt, Annie, Marco, even Jean, they were his pack now and he be damned if he let any of them be killed. His arm wrapped around Mikasa shoulder, pulling the half asian back towards Armin, and after hooking his other arm around the blonde, bit into his palm. The fangs sliced through his skin easily. Protect.

An incompleat titan was formed in seconds, one arm outstretched intercepted the cannonball. Mikasa and Armin were sheltered from the blast by the construct's ribcage. The evidence was before everyone now. Eren was a titan shifter. The cadets made hurried plans. The cannon was prepared for a second volley. Armin tried his best to convince the garrison to peace. Commander Pixis intervened. Eren could tell by the whiskey on his breath, the commander was drunk, very drunk.

 _Eren sealed the gate in the Trost district and was imprisoned pending trial. Captain Levi and Commander Erwin of the Scouting legion promised their defence for Eren, who intern stated his intention to join the scouting legion. After his outburst in court, accusing the MP and other government officials of being cowards Levi took the opportunity to show that Eren could be controlled._

Levi slammed his boot down of Jaeger's head, forcing the teens face onto the floor. Each blow was swift, immediate discipline. While the other members of court were shocked into speciation, Erwin kept a calm expression. There was a brief, nearly inaudible growl, feral and lupine. Levi looked at the boy's defiant golden eyes, his canine teeth appearing longer and sharper than most humans. For just a moment, Levi doubted he was sober. Another kick to the young man's face and the strange features evaporated as if they were never there to begin with. He was eventually stopped and custody of Eren was transferred to the Scouting Legion.

Hanji reaction at having a titan to study on demand could be described as orgasmic. She was the first person to look at Eren's injuries, informing them that his missing tooth wasn't missing anymore.

Eren did his best at adapting to the new circumstances. For starters, he found it hard to trust Levi at all after what had happened in court. The beating had triggered a defencive response; had he not the experience and restraint necessary Eren probably would had wolfed out and ripped the small man to pieces. Petra was kind and smelled like autumn, Eren's favorite season. Ulo was the only other one to make a big impression, he was a klutz that tried to imitate Levi. It was annoying. On the whole the group seemed admirable and not altogether same.

It was fortunate that his pack, with the exception of Marco who lost his life in the battle for Trost, was joining with him. What wasn't fortunate was the new level of security and attention that would be paid him. The full moon was the night Eren selected to go out hunting as such nights provided plenty of light to see by and the cadets also used such nights for 'shenanigans'. If he was to be discovered missing in the middle of the night most would assume that he and another cadet were having a late night rendezvous. With the way things had played out however, he would more likely be hunted down and killed or killed when he returned. It certainly wasn't helpful that no one seemed to _sleep!_

The room he was to stay in had been converted from a dungeon storage room. Two large crates and a few blankets were his only bedding, not that the wolf minded much, it was softer than stone and could be comfortable if arranged properly. The fact that it was underground would also help if he somehow turned into a titan while asleep. Windowless room or no, Eren could feel in his blood the rising of the moon. He became restless pacing back and forth in his new cage. Even though the manacles that had held him days before were gone, he could still feel the chains choking him. He was never meant to be caged. Eren was a member of the Wild Hunter clan, a Jaeger. He snarled to himself. So powerful and yet so helpless. Pathetic.

He was going to sneak out. He had to. With this in his heart Eren slipped past all the guards, silently picking his way through the brush into the woods. There was a hill where the forest began to grow thick. The moon was low. In his wolf form the whispers of the world filled his heart and he raised his voice to join in the chorus.

The song of the lone hunter reached down into the castle stirring Levi from his office chair. He had fallen asleep while doing paperwork, the image of glowing golden eyes pierced his dream. The grey eyed man looked out the large window into the cloudless night. On a distant hill a wolf was silhouetted against the moon. Its howl died away and, taking one last look at the castle, it vanished into the woods. Levi was sure that wolves weren't native to this side of Rose and what's more, it seemed abnormally large. The grip on his chair arm tightened as he was filled with an emotion he had not experienced before. Fear. Fear of some unknown ancient creature even more mysterious than titans.

 _The next morning, mess hall_

Eren stared at the food on his plate. He was still full from last night. The hunt lasted longer than anticipated and he barely made it back before Levi kicked in his door. All the other cadets were stuffing their faces. Mikasa kept giving him worried looks. Sasha was eyeing his plate. With a huff, Eren slid the dish in her direction. Sasha gave an excited squee before tearing into his rations. Eren could feel Levi watching him from across the room, uncomfortable and analytical, though not as bad as Hanji's gaze which caused him to shudder.

Mikasa, mother hen as always, took note of Eren's reaction but misinterpreted the source. "You shouldn't be picky, Eren," she chided in monotone, "you need to eat whenever you can to keep your strength up. Here," she extended part of her loaf to him.

"No, really, Mikasa. I'm fine. Besides, I wouldn't be able to eat if I wanted to."  
Of course such comments made the situation worse and she absolutely wouldn't let it go. Armin came to his rescue after a brief laughing fit.

After breakfast the corpsmen had a break before drills. Eren used this time to relax, lying down under a tree in a sunny spot. The warmth seeped through his clothes, tickling over his tanned hide, and filled him with a drowsy energy. He closed his eyes and allowed the scents and sounds of this new place to settle in.

Dozing off, Eren dreamed of his home in Shiganshina, the alleyways he used to explore, the other people he met, most of whom were undoubtedly dead. He had a unique relationship with a large tabby tomcat. The striped grey feline had a wit and ferocity that seemed similar to Levi. While the cat was never friendly with the young wolf he was rarely antagonistic. Conflict occurred mostly when other cats were about. The tabby was clearly smarter than his kin, and with the knowledge of such herbs as Henkan no hana, Eren often wondered if the cat had experienced a human-level of self awareness.

For the first time in five years Eren actively remembered what his father taught him. The full list of species the Henkan no hana could be used on wasn't known, however there was speculation that it was limited to predators or guesses that showed a relative intelligence. It is possible that cats, clever as they are, could be transformed with the petals just like wolves. There were certainly species of bird that could do the same. Eren only knew of medicines that affected wolves and humans however.

The napping boy was roused with a swift kick to the ribs. Levi was standing over him with a deathly glare in his steel grey eyes. "Get up, Jaeger." Begrudgingly, though he didn't show it, Eren stood and looked down at his irritated superior. "Report ot Hanji for testing." Eren hadn't heard the order but was lost considering just why he would dream of the tabby of all things.

Levi clicked his tongue. Eren wasn't even trying to listen, the kid was somewhere else entirely, staring off into space like a dullard. He seized the scarf tied around Eren's neck to yank the brunette's face down to Levi's level. Whatever he was going to say died in his throat. Eren's eyes had snapped into focus suddenly a bright shining gold. Just beneath the scarf fabric was what felt like a dog collar. Levi's eyes widened slightly.

"Sorry, sir," Eren's voice had taken on a think, inhuman accent, fangs flashing in the sunlight while he spoke, "Hanji wanted me, right? I'll head over there right away."

"Good." While the elder's voice didn't hint at anything, that same instinctual fear rose like a pillar in the back of Levi's mind. He was sure Jaeger could hear his hammering heart. As soon as he released the scarf the golden hue faded from Eren's eyes. All menace had disappeared from him replaced by a look that could only be described as 'sheepish puppy' while Eren bounded away. Levi fixed his eyes on the hill he had seen the wolf on last night before glancing after Eren's retreating form. "Is that kid really human?"

Later that night everyone was gathered again for the evening meal. Eren actually ate this time. The greenhorns from the 104th south were abuzz about something. While Levi normally wouldn't care what was being gossiped about the conversation caught his attention. The bald one was going on about someone named "Sharp" and how he followed Eren around. It seemed that he was the de facto mascot of the 104th. There was a kind of sport involved in finding him too with rewards varying from no chores to more rations.

"So we were at the winter grounds right, and Eren just wander out in a blizzard like the suicidal dumbass he is. Of course we go out to find him but instead of Eren we met Sharp for the first time. Let me tell you," he prattled on to some of the veterans, "that guy is really fucking huge. He was at least 4'7" at the shoulders. Can you imagine a wolf that big!"

Levi nearly spit out his tea, his thoughts echoed by the scout Connie was talking to. "There's no way, right? A wolf the size of a horse? You must have been seeing things."

"Nah, but that's the awesome part! All five of us saw him but Sharp kept popping up in the woods around the training camps. He and Eren got a bond or something, like packmates. You heard that howling last night too, right? It's Sharp. Ain't no other wolf sound like him."

Levi placed his cup down staring at the tinted liquid. It seemed so ridiculous but it was the only explanation he could think of. Sharp wasn't following Jaeger, Sharp _was_ Jaeger. He looked up at Eren. His heart nearly stopped. He was staring at Levi with a serious expression. Their eyes locked grey and gold before Eren raised a finger to his lips in the gesture for silence. Eren knew that Levi had figured it out. While the shorter man's mind raged against his sudden inability to act, his body refused every order. He couldn't even look away, Eren's eyes had mesmerized and terrorized him. Petra's gentile "Captain?" snapped him out of the stupor and he tore his eyes free of Eren's gaze.

"Hm?"

"Are you alright? Y-you're… paler than normal." Her face was full of concern.

"I haven't slept yet," was his blunt and truthful response. With that he stood suddenly and stalked off to his office.

The moonlight was still bright and streaming through the window. Levi collapsed into his chair and buried his face in his hands, desperately trying to steady his breathing. He looked out the night time scene, a quiet calm finally spreading up his arms. The door opened and was closed silently. His heart leapt into his throat and he quietly cursed his instinctual reaction. Levi was greeted with a glowing amber stare, Eren's face hidden by the shadows. "What are you?" he murmured.

"What do you think I am, _Heicho?"_ There was again that inhuman tint to Eren's voice that sent a chill through Levi's blood.

"A monster."

"A wolf."

"Then, are you here to destroy humanity?"

"No." There was a painful pause where Levi and Eren stared at eachother for what felt like eternity before the boy spoke again. "I don't like you. You and your squad are here to kill me if I lose control and you beat me at the trial. Those thing… I understand the necessity and am thankful. I won't take what you feel must be done personally, however… if you tell _anyone_ about my secret I will take it _very_ personally." He turned to leave, lingering at the door, "I won't hesitate to kill you either."

Levi was left there, heart pounding in his ears, fighting just to keep rational thought. But the thing Eren didn't count on, was that humanity's strongest never lets anything keep him down long. He clenched his hands together and smiled. He had found another challenge to make him stronger. "Touché, Eren Jaeger."

 **So, That was fun I hope. Not quite as long as chapter one but I feel like it is sufficient. The cat will come into play later, don't worry. Just to clarify, Mikasa doesn't know that Eren is part wolf. Levi has figured it out and now it is time for conflict. Eren is** _ **not**_ **OOC, by protecting his secret aggressively from smarter people like Levi and subversively with more naive or trusting people like his friends Eren is defending his family in the Shingeshina wilds. The thing that wolves need fear are humans, not titans. Armin falls into the too trusting category and I don't think Mikasa would care.**


	3. Chapter 3

**So there is a lot going on in this chapter. Thank you to my Beta/ irl friend who apparently 'needs this' now xD. I'm such a tease...teehee…*evil laughter***

Chapter 3: She Wolf?

Mikasa paced nervously outside Eren's room, she had just looked in and found it empty. Right now Armin was running all over the castle trying to find her adoptive brother. There was just no reason in Mikasa's mind for him to disappear like this. Armin appeared at the top of the stairwell, one look at his concerned face told her everything. He hadn't found Eren. The horses outside were suddenly panicked, screeching in terror, slamming hooves against wooden stalls.

Both cadets were outside, as well as a large number of others. Eren was on his back, scooting away from a startled horse that kept trying to smash him underhoof. From the overturned water bucket, brush, and a hoof knife, it seemed that Eren had been trying to groom the steed. Levi was able to calm the beast and the other mounts soon followed suite.

The young brunette's face was plastered with contempt and annoyance, he didn't seem the least bit afraid, even though he had almost gotten seriously hurt by the stallion. "Fuck you too." He snarled at the horse. The animal somehow seemed to understand and shorted, surging forward, trying to bite at Eren. The boy nimbly jumped out of the way, and with a few quick movements was on top of the stable roof. He hadn't used his 3D maneuver gear, either. Mikasa stared, wondering if that had been some part of his titan power.

"Jaeger! What were you doing?" the steel eyed man glared up at him.

"What's it look like? Trying to clean that ungrateful little-"

"Who told you that you could be out at this time of night?" came Levi's biting response.

Eren look somehow put out at the rebuke, but accepted it none the less. "I'll be in my room." He slid off the roof landing just next to Mikasa.

"Eren-"

He looked at her and she froze. There wasn't any emotion in his normally expressive eyes, his face was blank. Just like her's. He was hurting, being locked up in that underground place, away from the sun, she was sure of it. Her nervous glance shifted to Armin, the blonde seemed to share her concern.

The other soldiers moved away when Eren stalked past. A dark aura flowed off of him causing the horses to press back. Something about his presence unnerved everyone, even his 'packmates' shifted uneasily. Hanji, having observed the animals reaction immediately began taking notes. Levi glanced over his shoulder at her before shaking his head.

Mikasa was done hesitating. She ran after Eren, whipping through the halls, bolting down the stairs. Eren had just closed the door when she burst through it. "Eren, I-" He was doubled over, hands tangled in his hair, a low growl echoed from his throat as he sat up. Her legs gave out when she saw his eyes. The bright golden hue swept away her strength. " _Beautiful…_ "

Eren, still on all fours, turned to face her fully, placing his hands on the stone. Long claw-like nails curved out, tapping against the floor. Fangs peeked from his lips, and fur-like hair curled down the sides of his face. "M-Mikasa?" His voice had an inhuman rumble to it that reminded her of when Dr. Jaeger read the Big Bad Wolf's lines in their bedtime story. She would say he crawled over to her, but it was more like a walk. Eren leaned over her, so close she could feel his breath on her neck. Despite herself, a deep blush broke over her cheeks. He had pinned her down and was sniffing her.

"E-Eren? What are you- agh!" His tongue had swiped out, gliding over her neck. She was shaking in mixed excitement and fear. This was boy was her warmth, and his proximity flustered her, but the lupine look to him, the dark feel...It was like a large predator had taken Eren's place that could eat her just a easily hug her. Mikasa's eyes squeezed shut, though she didn't dare move.

"Urg," he pulled back and she found the courage to open her eyes. This time she was greeted by familiar features, green-blue eyes, less hair, no fangs or claws. "Sorry you had to see that…" Even his voice had returned to its' gentle tone. Something caught her eye, a speck of black under Eren's creamy white scarf. Leaning up, she pulled back her gift to him and saw the dark, worn leather underneath. Before her eyes, time unraveled, she was young again, Eren had wrapped his scarf around her shaking shoulders, the collar hung loosely around his neck.

"E-Eren, you're…" she gave a humorless laugh, "Well, it all makes sense now."

"Sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to but-"

"It's okay. I'm not afraid." Mikasa pulled her adopted brother into a hug, something she never would have done before. Her blush deepened when Eren hugged her back.

"Ah!" The two shot apart and turned in embarrassment to Armin. The blonde was covering his eyes, cheeks burning. "I'm sorry for intruding!" he squeaked, peeking out from behind his fingers.

"I-it's not like that!" both of the other cadets blustered in unison.

 _ **Two days before the full moon-**_

Eren yawned, a big toothy yawn. The afternoon had lagged on after training and Eren had offered to make tea to ease his boredom. While everyone else was practicing drills the brunette had slipped around the castle grounds looking for herbs. He'd just finished hanging them in the kitchen when Bertholt, Reiner, and Armin had come to make tomorrow's lunches, hence why Eren was brewing tea.

The room, like all old kitchens, had a high sealing and was crafted from stone. Along the far wall where Eren worked was a waist high counter. In the center of the room was a large oak table, probably the one servants would have used for meals, where Armin and Bertholdt were packing bags of food. Along the right of the room was a row of three fireplaces, two stoves, and a blasting kiln, though why the latter was there no one was quite sure. Reiner was mucking about with a pot that smelled like assorted vegetables, beef, and pork. The left wall housed the pantry and all the cookware, china, and silverware. Dotting the walls were several large bay windows that could be opened in the summer to let out heat, right now however, a pleasant breeze drifted through, bringing the warm scents of late summer, early autumn, into the relatively cold space.

"That was a big one, Jaeger," Reiner chuckled, interrupting Eren's contemplation of scents.

"Hu? Oh, the yawn. Yeah, I didn't get much sleep last night…"

"That's no good, Eren," Armin turned to face him, the sandwich he was wrapping in hand, "You need to stay rested. We have our first expedition in a few days."

"Uh, Armin, this one is ready." Bertholdt handed over an almost finished ration bag.

"Thanks."

Reiner walked over from the fireplace, where he was minging a stew, and clapped a hand on Eren's shoulder, "I didn't know you were so handy with plants. Where'd you learn it?"

"I'm interested in that as well," Armin piped from across the table. He and Bertholdt listened and worked at the same time.

"Well, my father was a doctor. He taught me everything I know, like how aloe and silk weed make a good poultice wrap, even though they are both pretty rare, or how to use grapes as a disinfectant even without having it fermented… I was actually supposed to take over the business from him when I got old enough..." Eren stopped sorting tea leaves and studied his hands, "I hope he's alright."

Everyone was quiet for a while, all understanding the deeper level of concern Eren had. He'd not seen hide nor hair of Grisha for five years, much less caught a wiff of his scent. He shook his head to clear it. "Anyway, if I don't get this pot to Heicho soon, he'll probably kill me." He had meant in a light hearted manner but the others didn't think the joke was in good taste. The wolf boy shrugged off their disapproving looks and poured Levi's cup. He set both pot and cup on a tray to make carrying them easier.

Wandering through the halls wasn't an option, it'd get cold to fast and the captain wouldn't be pleased. However, walking quickly and carefully wasn't as easy as it sounded, the most direct path was filled with people all bustling about their chores. Somehow Eren made it to the meating room without spilling the cup's contents all over himself or the floor, a win in the tired young man's mind. He knocked twice before opening the oak door, peeking in. The officers gathered within all turned brief attention to Eren and looked away, back to their business. Taking that as a sign to come in Eren placed the tray with Levi's cup and teapot next to the gray eyed man. He waved Eren off, which was fine by him, more time to clean up the kitchen.

The trip back was faster as he hadn't been carrying anything. Connie was sitting on the counter next to Eren's herb bags. Reiner and Armin were still there, the larger blonde sorting rations, but Bertholdt had left. Pots off to the left crashed to the ground followed by Christa's apology and Sasha's soothing. Armin was studding the herbs Eren had hung to dry earlier and began spouting questions about their uses and individual effects as soon as the brunette walked in. The wolf boy checked them and, deeming them to not be dry enough, moved over to his bags. He methodically sorted through the herbs, counting what he still had before panic lodged itself in his throat. Armin, who had followed him over, and Connie were asking about the names and practical application of his medicines. When he got to the Henkan no hana his fingers froze. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten… Shit shit shit_ "Shit!" He ripped the drawstring on the bag closed and sprinted out of the kitchen. _Catmint, elderberry, ginger root, Henken no hana, oh shit!_

He slammed the door to the meeting room open. Everyone jumped and Levi glared at him. He didn't have the time to care however, "Please, Heicho, tell me you didn't drink the tea!"

"What? Of course I drank it, why shou- urg!" Pain flashed across Levi's face and Eren paled. The officers at the table stood or shifted, very concerned for the well being of humanities strongest. Levi bolted up from his chair, toppling it over, boiling mad, but instead of yelling at Eren gripped his sides. A cry of agony ripped from his lungs, human at first but growing feline by the second. Thick fur like hair crawled over his body. Levi's pupils contracted into thin slits as he stared in horror at his morphing hands. The gray haired man staggered backwards, suddenly unable to keep his balance, and began shrinking, like his body was caving in on itself. Soon where Levi had once stood was a pile of clothes, a little bump moving around under his jacket. What wormed its way out of Levi's uniform was a large, slick coated, dark gray tabby cat with pale gray-blue eyes.

The furry thing was in a panic, caterwauling in shock and anger. He seemed to Eren to have trouble walking. The tail, having been freed from the button up shirt whisked from one side to another, making clear just how livid he was. He turned his gaze to Eren, hatred clear in Levi's icey eyes, and hissed, " _What the hell did you do to my tea, Jaeger!?_ "

"C-captain?" Petra looked like she was about to faint.

"Eren," the wolf boy flinched and turned to look at Commander Erwin's angry, and slightly puzzled, expression, "what did you do?"

" _I just asked him that!_ "

"Well, when I was making the tea my herb bag," he lifted the drawstring pouch in his hand meekly, "was right next to the bag for the tea leaves...and I… uh, may have accidently added petals from the 'Flower of Transformation', Henken no hana, to the mix." Connie and Armin poked their heads in from the hallway, though Eren didn't notice them.

"The what?"

"The flower of Transformation is a very rare herb that grows in the forests outside of Shiganshina. As the name implies when used properly it can...change the physical attributes of whoever, or whatever, eats it, although it doesn't work on everything."

"How?"

"I haven't been sleeping well," if he was a wolf right now Eren was sure he'd have his tail tucked. Erwin just exuded the authority of an alpha. "So the mix for the tea just happened to have the right herbs in it for a transformation to take place. I'm very sorry, Commander."

The blonde commander sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "What herbs did that flower- No I should ask the more important question now: can you change him back?"

"Er, it doesn't work like that. It'll wear off though. At longest a day or so." The brunette walked in a wide circle around the still relatively immobile captain kitten to check the tea pot. It was empty. "Better make that three."

" _So I'm stuck like this for three days?_ " Levi's meow was incredulous.

"So he's stuck like that for three whole days, hu?" Hanji's glasses lit up, an evil expression on her face. She leapt out of her chair and swooped Levi up in her arms, "Hey, Shorty, I have a bunch of experiments I'd like to try, would you mind helping me? This 'Flower of Transformation' seems really interesting."

While she spoke Levi squirmed, slipping out of her grasp and landed on his feet before jumping up on the table, and, wheeling around, gave a hearty hissing growl. " _NO!_ "

"Is that a 'no' then?" Eren had to stop himself from saying anything when Hanji continued to pester Levi. The cat, to his credit, was quickly getting the hang of his new shape, using it to pounce down and latch his claws into Eren's leg, biting as well. Eren yelped, a very canine yelp, and seized Levi's scruff, yanking him off. The youth held the flailing snarling Captain at a distance, trying not to get clawed. " _I'm going to shred you, bastard! Just you wait! I'll slit your throat while you're sleeping. You're a failure of a human being, and you smell like dog!_ " Eren forced himself to take the threats seriously, even though Levi was slipping into a feline's form of abusive language that would seem rather ridiculous to human ears.

When he realized the kind of power he held over Levi's head at this point, Eren flipped the gray tabby around and pinned Levi's back against his chest with an arm, holding his hind legs in his other hand. The cat retaliated by trying to bite through Eren's canvas jacket. Fortunately his needle like teeth weren't sharp enough to make it through the fabric. Once Levi stopped struggling and whipping up a fuss, Eren gently put him down on the table. Reclaiming his dignity somewhat, Levi sat down and curled his tail over his paws, somehow managing to look just as serious and cross as always.

"Well then, I suppose this delays our operation for at least three days then." Erwin stood from his chair. "Until Levi's back to normal he's your responsibility, Eren."

"Hu?"

" _Oh, hell no! Erwin, there is no way I'm going to let that brat anywhere near me!_ " Levi folded his ears back against his head.

"I don't think that he's to happy with that, Erwin," Hanji teased.

"I-I'm not sure I can take care of a cat. much less Heichou…" Eren was desperately hoping that the commander would change his mind. He didn't. Everyone else rose from their seats, the meeting was adjourned by Levi's unfortunate situation.

" _Erwin! I said I wo-_ "

"I'll be off then. The general's assembly is in the capital tomorrow. I need to be punctual."

" _Listen to me!_ " The door closed behind all the retreating people, Armin and Connie scampered off somewhere, and Eren was left alone with an irate feline. " _Hey! Erwin! C-can he not hear me?_ " ears shot forward to glean any hint of sound. When no reply came Levi was forced to contemplate his current condition, staring at his paws. " _Can… no one understand me?_ " His ears pressed back against his head again, tail flicking in irritation and worry. This wasn't like him, to feel this anxious.

"Just for the record, I can understand you."

" _What?_ " His eyes flashed up to glare at Eren's, they were golden hued again and Levi felt the familiar flash of fear. It made more sense to him this time, Eren was a horse sized wolf underneath and now Levi couldn't so much as scratch him. Everyone was also much bigger than himself, like three-metre class titans in comparison.

"I. Can. Understand. You."

" _Then why didn't you say anything?!_ " Levi's hackles raised when he hissed.

Eren bent down to look Levi in the eye. "How crazy do you think I am? What was I supposed to say? 'I'm part wolf so I can understand cat'? Because Hanji doesn't want to dissect me enough right now! Do you honestly think I'm enjoying this? Like I didn't have enough problems without this happening!?"

" _I don't care, Jaeger! This is your fault! All you had to do was not put the damn bags next to each other, or, I don't know, actually pay attention to what you were doing! Now I'm stuck like this because of you! Sorry to inconvenience you, but I'm a_ cat _! And guess what little shit did that!_ "

"Don't complain to me about it; I know I fucked up, okay!"

" _Why shouldn't I? I have to_ lick _myself clean now! Do you know how much time that's going to take? Oh wait, you do, because you're a fucking wolf, but at least you can take a shower! And what am I supposed to do without thumbs?! I can't drink anything much less eat. What about my 3DM gear? Someone's got to keep it well oiled and clean. What about drills? Do you really want Hanji or, gods forbid, Ulo taking over?!"_

"Well, no," Eren got an sheepish expression. This was just like that cat back in Shiganshina chastising him for letting his wolf features show when he was angry, only a thousands times worse.

Reiner was walking by when he heard a loud meowing from the meeting room. "Did someone get a cat?" He pushed the door open slightly and peered in. Eren, looking like he was being yelled at, was standing at the end of the table. A large gray tabby tom was growling at him, back arched and tail fluffed. Occasionally the furry appendage would flick about. There was also an overturned chair and what looked like a pile of Levi's clothes.

The cat made a fuss about something and Eren responded, "There are plenty of mice in the castle that you can eat and it's not like that wouldn't improve the cleanliness of th-" The cat cut him off with a furious snarl, swiping a paw through the air. The boy reacted like if it was Levi who had just called him a 'brat' again or some other insult. "Now that's uncalled for!"

"I-is he talking to a cat?" Reiner backed away from the door, his eyes were wide and his jaw slack. All those crazy stories about Eren talking to animals like they could actually understand him or something were true? Unreal! He couldn't stop himself from considering all the other whacked out shit people claimed Eren did when no one was around as factual too. Reiner sprinted away, freaked out. He'd have to tell Bertholdt and Annie about what he'd just seen.

Levi huffed clearly annoyed, " _If you're the only one that can understand me, you're just going to have to deal with it. I'm not going to enjoy this either but it's not like I want to be misunderstood for three days._ " His tail drooped in resignation.

"Well, first we should head back to the kitchen. I have some other herbs drying and I really don't want them to shrivel…"

" _Fine, but I'm not walking. Getting stepped on isn't in my plans for today._ " Levi paused for a moment to measure the distance and sprung off the table onto Eren's shoulders. The wolf boy gave a startled grunt but allowed Levi to get settled, with some assistants, so he was draped around Eren's neck. As the two headed back they received innumerable strange looks, Levi dug in his claws, uncomfortable with the stares, but Eren simply ignored the other people. Whether they really wanted to or not, they parted for the titan shifter, though out of fear or curiosity wasn't clear.

Connie was hurriedly telling the others about what he and Armin had seen when Eren walked in. "Eren! Does that Henken no whatever work for species other than cats?"

"Ah, yeah why?" he muttered, almost absently mindedly while checking his herbs, plucking off the parts he wanted and threw the unusable parts into a compost heap outside the kitchen window.

Connie rushed up and grabbed Eren's shoulders, nearly causing Levi to fall off, "Turn me into a wolf!"

"W-what?"

"Connie has been rambling about it none stop," Ymir, who Eren hadn't noticed until just then spoke up. Christa was sitting on her lap, presumably because there were no other open chairs at the kitchen table.

Eren returned his attention to Connie and, with the most serious, stern, and generally pissed off face he could muster, spoke blunty. "Hell. No."

"W-why not?"

Eren pointed at Levi, who nearly bit his finger, "I have one too many transformed humans to deal with. No way I'm babysitting another one."

"B-but-"

"No." Eren turned his back on the smaller boy, walking over to the counter. He pulled open his herb bag and Levi jumped down from his shoulders.

Armin edged up from his right, peering around Eren at the gray tabby tom sitting on the counter. "I-is that really Heichou?" He reached tentatively to pet the cat and he flashed his claws and teeth in a warning hiss. The blonde mastermind gave a startled 'eep', yanking his hand away.

Eren on the other hand clicked his tongue and dropped his hand onto Levi's head, gripping Levi's skull. "Hush. Armin's just curious is all, don't be an ass." The gray tabby tried to wiggle out of his hand, but was neither able to bite, nor were his claws able to get the right angle on Eren's skin. Levi instead let out a low growl and Eren let go, holding a finger chastising, "Behave." To everyone observing, the cat Levi was clearly offended.

Connie walked up on Eren's other side, "Well, how did you even manage to turn the Captain into a cat anyway?"

"Eh, well, if you combine the Henken no hana with other herbs the agent of change, the element of transmutation if you will, takes on the relative aspects of the added agents." When Connie just stared at him blankly and even Armin seemed lost Eren knew he'd have to use a clearer description. "Um, so the other herbs are the director of the petal's transitional power."

Armin's eyes lit up, "So certain plants can determine what you change into when applied in a mixture."

"Right, Now because it was a tea the method boiled off some of the stronger effects. If you were to make a poultice out of the additives and spread it over the petals you could get the desired results without having to use so many. I did have thirteen of these before…"

"Is it one petal, one day?" Connie asked.

"Well, no. Like all medicines the effect will vary based on the imbiber's natural resistances, body weight, the skill with which the mix is prepared, and the desired species of change."

"So a cat is easier than a horse?" Armin asked, seeming enraptured by unknown, and likely horrific, applications.

"Yeah… but I'm not even sure a horse is possible. The plant can be used by more than just humans but seems limited to a given level of intelligence. If you've studied the plant's properties enough you could probably identify people or animals that have used it in the past."

"That's kind of scary…" Connie shuddered next to Eren.

" _Wait, are you saying I'll be cat-like for the rest of my life?_ "

"Yeah..." Even though Eren was answering Levi, Connie took it as a response to his statement.

 _ **The night of the full moon**_

Levi was curled up on Eren's lap. The Captain had become more and more feline as the hours passed, now his speech was simple and fragmented. Levi still displayed his aggressive, serious temperament, but he complained less, slept much more, and became demanding when it came to petting and having a lap to nap on. Eren had used his new desk time to write down a more complete work on what his father taught him, making sure that the journal was written in a wolvish dialect. Symbols would represent motions or vocalizations that would be clear to anyone that could speak wolf but seem like meaningless scribbles to those who couldn't.

Eren stared at the new page, fidgety. The full moon certainly didn't help his mood. He reached down and scratched under Levi's chin. The cat-ptain* purred enthusiastically, craning his neck to have Eren rub the right spot. "Ugh, I can't stand it, Heichou!" Levi looked up at him and blinked slowly, "The full moon I mean, I've just gotten into a routine of hunting at this time that sitting on my ass is just driving me up a wall."

" _Just go hunt._ "

"It's not that simple."

There was a loud crash from the courtyard, both Eren and Levi jolted at the sound. Sasha was screaming. Eren, not caring much about his old loungewear, sprang out of his seat, dislodging Levi, and shifted into his wolf form. There were other voices he didn't care about, also screaming and shouting. The strong musky scent of wolf hit his sensitive nose. "Levi," he growled in wolf speak, "stay here."

" _No argument here._ " Clearly the cat could scent the wolf too and didn't like it one bit.

Eren sprinted out of his cell, pounded up the stairs, squeezing through door ways, and burst out into the courtyard. Sasha had a knife in her hand, pointed at a short haired, scrawny looking wolf. Other scouts from the 104th and other classes were gathered around with rope and other assorted long handled tools, hastily gathered. Eren shook the last scraps of clothes from his body before launching himself between Sasha and the feral hound. The thing was clearly out of his mind, snarling and biting at nothing, rambling on about finding someone and being so hungry.

Eren growled, long and low, fluffing up his coat. The littler one responded in kind, looking like a pup in comparison to the dire wolf. The normal statured one charged forward, his eyes red with blood lust and his fur a thick soot black. Eren pulled his head up, lifting his neck out of the reach of the smaller's jaws, flicking out his right forepaw with enough strength to knock his attacker over. Once off balanced it was Eren's turn to lunge forward, seizing the loose fur of the black wolf's scruff and hoisted him clear off the ground before give a hearty shake.

"No! Sharp, it's Connie!" Sasha shrieked from behind Eren. The large wolf immediately stopped trying to break the other's neck. A cold fear flushed through Eren's fur as he desperately listened for Connie's breathing, setting him down to help the foolish human breath. Burning relief and anger coursed through him from nose to tail tip when he felt the steady heartbeat between his jaws. Connie's breathing was still ragged but at least the idiot wasn't dead. Eren growled in wolf tongue, " _Submit_."

" _Grah, ha, ha S-Sharp… n-no Eren?_ " Connie seemed to be finally coming to himself but was still to animal, to feral, to think clearly. Eren wanted a clear and precise answer from him however, and pressed his weight down on the beta male.

" _Submit_ ," he growled again, this time adding a squeeze to Connie's neck.

" _Y-yes, yes! I submit! I submit, alpha._ " Once Connie had whimpered his surrender Eren realised the smaller male and glared daggers at him.

" _You're a damned idiot!_ " he snapped, teeth flashing, " _I told you no! Why didn't you listen to me, Connie?!_ "

" _I-I'm sorry, alpha,_ " Connie stood slowly, tail curled up between his legs. He lifted his muzzle to lick at Eren's chin in a gesture of submission and publication. Eren grunted and mouthed Connie's ear in rebuke. " _I wasn't considering the consequences...I-I almost hurt someone I cared about deeply,_ " he gave a pitiful whining squeek, fixing his blood red eyes on Sasha. At the look of fear in her eyes his ears fell back, utterly dejected.

Eren sat with a sigh, " _You're a dumbass, you know that?_ "

" _Yeah._ "

"AMAZING!" Hanji shoved her way through the crowd of astonished scouts and rushed over to Connie, poking and running her hands through his fur, lifting his legs to test joints. She even grabbed his jaws and forced his mouth open. "This is amazing! Just imagine the possibilities of that, dare I say magical, flower Eren has!" She then rounded on Eren and froze for a moment, looking into his golden eyes, completely enraptured. At least this expression was more awe than an almost sexual excitement. "And you must be Sharp," she held out her hand to Eren, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Eren humored her by putting his paw in her hand, well it was more like placing his paw over her hand as the appendage was the size of her face. Her voice dropped so only the two wolves could hear her, "So that's why all the animals are afraid of you, Eren." Eren's eye widened slightly and he felt his heart skip once. _Well shit, she found out… How did she find out!?_

Mikasa made her way through the swell of people as well, her eyes clouded with concern. Even though Eren was a wolf, she wouldn't ever stop mother henning him. "Er-Sharp! Are you alright?" He gave a light hearted bark in response, though light hearted was the exact opposite of how he was feeling.

Armin stood off to the side, studying the whole encounter. There was no way in Armin's mind, nor had there been since their first meeting, that Sharp wasn't sentient. The fact that he froze like that after Sasha told him it was Connie only further proved that hypothesis. But Sharp had come out of the castle, not the woods, meaning he had to have already been inside. And what Mikasa had started to say, 'Er-', that had to be Eren. That was the only explanation for her concern. Only Eren could elicit that reaction from her. Couple that with the lupin growling he had heard a few days ago, when only she and Eren had been in his cell… Sharp _was_ Eren. The blonde smiled, his mastermind smile, the one that made his classmates shit themselves in fear of his crazy, very deadly, plans. His friend had hidden his secret very well for a long time, but Eren's enjoyment in hearing the half baked theories others had about him was his achilles heel. His hubris was his downfall, so to speak.

That grin still on his face Armin scampered away to his room. He'd have a new entry to his global conquest journal, the existence of individuals that can change shape at will. Half-breeds, and of course Direwolves themselves would also be an entry. "Eren's mom must have had some major bestiality issues, hu? That also means that Dr. Grisha is a direwolf, like Eren or full-blooded...That means Henken no hana definitively works on wolves and Direwolves…Interesting."

 ***It's a pun, Cat + Captain = Cat-ptain (to pronounce add an extra 't' after the ca, so Ca-t-ptain) It's bad, I know**

 **Holy Cows from Antioch's Holy handgrenade! This chapter is how many words long? 5393! WHAT?! So clearly I wasn't able to catch every mistake, sorry. Also, I hope you enjoyed neko Levi. He did actually sleep with Eren for those three days, curled up on his chest most likely. Armin is very "A Slap on Titan" because I find it funny. HeheHE RIENER!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Water Tribe Wolf - I could possibly be convinced to do that sometime in the future**

 **Snowphy- I'm glad you enjoyed it :)**

 **Guest- eh… that would be funny but… I don't really think horses are that smarts, sensitive yes, but not that smart.**

 **Thanks to GingerNinja245 and Miss Jackson Grayson-Barton for your reviews :D. These chapter have quite a lot going on so it's hard to balance tell what's needed and keeping thing concise. Very much thanks to all for reading my insane scribblings! I'm very sorry this one took so long, even when you map out a chapter actually writing it takes time and effort with a good helping of inspiration.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Consequences of Being the Hero

Eren slumped back in his chair, they were making the final preparations for an expedition on the other side of wall Rose but the wolf boy was more concerned with the page his eyes were devouring. The story was reaching a climax with the main protagonists female friend about to betray him. Eren's ear twitched when Levi walked in, back in human form, though he still smelled like a cat. The fifteen year old pressed his nose further into the pages, trying to drown out the scent. Heichou stood behind his chair, reading over his shoulder, radiating impatiens. "Heichou, you're not a cat anymore, if there's something on your mind just say it."

"Why aren't you getting ready?"

"Who says I haven't been," Eren patted a bag at his side before gesturing to his 3DM gear, oiled and shined on the desk.

"Hm."

"Anything else?"

"You're not to leave my sight during the mission, titan brat." With that as the final remark, Levi turned and left. Eren sniffed the air a few times, noting that there was a lot more soap smell in his room than normal.

Out in the courtyard Connie was stretching, a few of the others from the 104th crowding around. He too was back to being human, but some of his wolvish features only just vanished this morning. He started calling Eren 'Alpha' and both Sasha and Mikasa were murmuring about it. "Don't you think it's weird," Sasha whispered, "Connie's been correcting himself but he's still not acting normal. This morning I saw him staring at his plate, like really hungry, but he didn't eat anything until Eren said he could!"

"It is odd, but nothing about Connie's been normal for a while."

"I-I guess you're right… "

Levi walked out of the barracks, cross as ever. Being a cat hadn't been at all unpleasant and that really pissed him off. The comparative dullness of his human senses, the pull of his 3DM gear, even the lack of a tail unsettled him. He couldn't help but wonder how Eren put up with it, pretending to be human all the time. Sure thumbs were fucking amazing, he'd missed tee and cooked food, but there were so many other things better as a cat. He shook his head, reminding himself that he is, was, and always will be a human; anything else and he wouldn't be 'Levi' anymore.

As Levi paced over to his horse and a snow white she-cat skirted up beside him, her tail raised in respectful greeting. Though how he just knew it was a she he'd no idea. He knelt down and held out his hand for her to sniff. "What do you want?"

" _Just to know how you turned into a hindwalker,_ " she purred her response in a seductive tone- again, how did he know she was being flirty much less understand her?- taking a step forward to slide under his hand.

"I was born this way. Turned into a cat, but now I'm back to normal."

" _Oh, I see?_ " She arched her back under his palm, " _If you change again maybe you'd like to go hunting with me later? I'd love to see how_ good _you are with your teeth._ "

There was only one word to describe how he felt. Nope. The captain stood and briskly walked away. He'd have to demand Eren tell him about this shitty situation. It didn't help that everyone was milling about. "Hey, brats, get your shit together. We're leaving in five."

"Sir!" they collectively shouted.

"Definitely going to take a cold shower when we get back," he muttered under his breath, shuddering. When the grey eyed man glanced back he saw Eren leading his mount over, an annoyed expression on the youth's face. He could see the white rim of the chestnut mare's eyes. It seems that the titan shifter was having problems with her. That would make the sixth horse that refused to work with the wolf. Levi looked at his own steed, dark coated and battle hardened. "I'm not sure you can actually understand me, but we need that mare to cooperate. Go tell her to calm the fuck down, okay?"

The steed stared at him then looked over at the mare. As the two got closer, Levi's horse moved over to walk next to her, huffing. She calmed down a little but still seemed a bit jittery.

When the scouts met eyes, Eren's had a gold glow to them and Levi forced himself to keep a flat affect, staring right back. "How can I understand cats?"

"You were a cat," Eren responded with a sigh, "so you know what certain gestures and sounds mean. Other people will hear a meow, you will hear the words behind it."

"And how could a cat understand me?"

"It's all in the tone of voice."

"How do you understand cat if you're a wolf?" It just occurred to Levi that he never even thought to ask that question.

"I learned it from a tabby in Shiganshina. He had near human intelligence, so I think he'd eaten Henken no hana before."

"Oh."

An awkward silence descended, stifling any and all emotion or thoughts with knowledge of the impending expedition. Eren had started fidgeting. Levi sighed, before pulling himself up onto his horse. "Common, Jaeger. We've got a job to do."

"Sir."

 **The female titan appeared towards the rear of the column. After attacking Armin and the scout with him, the young blond determines that she is looking for Eren. Both Reiner and Jean come to his aid. The female titan returns and it seems like Reiner barely escapes from being crushed in her grasp. She moves on towards the center of the formation, leaving the three boys stranded with only two horses in titan territory. Eren along with Levi's squad, unaware of the events going on behind them, move into the forest of giant trees. The Female titan is attacked by the Scouting Legion.**

"Heichou, what is happening?" Eren leaned forward in his saddle, as if it would help.

"Nothing that you need to worry about." Levi glanced over his shoulder at Eren with his cold unfeeling stare and the youth balled his fists into a stranglehold on the reigns.

"It's okay Eren," Petra puller her mount closer to his other side, "trust us, please."

Levi called his attention back, "Eren, we cannot make a decision for you. In the end do what you think is right, be it trusting in your comrades or fighting by yourself. Determine your own path."

"Heichou…" he whispered it low and the word was lost in the wind. Maybe Levi wasn't so bad. As Eren looked at the faces of the humans around him, a warmth spread up through his limbs. He remembered what it was like, running through the shadowy trees, leaping over brooks, the sound of his packmates breathing during the case, the thrill of being part of a pack, a family. He'd never really lost it. It took everything he had just to contain the howl burning in the back of his throat. How had he been able to forget such a feeling? Humans were something worth fighting for and even more, they were something worth trusting.

Levi looked back at him again and Eren could swear there was a ghost of a smile on his face. "Alright," Eren said, looking towards the others, "I trust you."

Petra gave a sunlight warm smile. "Thank you."

"We just need to keep moving," Ulo pushed his horse a little faster, "common!"

Eren saw it before anyone else. There was a stone on the path, pulled up and overgrow, covered in slick moss. He didn't have time to warn Ulo as he rushed past. The horse slipped. Everyone pulled to a dead stop. The thick scent of iron stung Eren's nose. Ulo swore over the beasts screams. It's leg was broken and the man was pinned underneath the wild beast.

"Damn." Levi swung off his own mount and plunged a sword through it's heart, cutting off the screams and preventing the horse from suffering any more. Eren swung down as well, hefting the limp beast off of Ulo's leg. The scouts 3DM gear had been damaged and no longer worked. To his own disgust, the scent of blood was making him hungry, reminding the wolf boy that he'd yet to eat today. Now was not the time to think about food! "We're down a horse," the shorter male scanned the forest, "at best another group will catch us… at worst, titans."

Eren studied the worried faces, the urge to protect his human packmates welling in his instinctual mind. "Ulo, take my horse," Eren unbuckled the 3DM gear from his waist, handing it to his unfortunate comrade, "and this."

"W-what," the other man stumbled over the word as Eren pulled him to his feet.

"Eren, I thought you were going to trust us," Perta guided her horse over.

"I am." With that he quickly unfastened the remaining 3DM gear straps, yanked off his jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt. He glanced up at her confused face that was slowly turning red.

"E-Eren, what are you doing?" she finally stammered out as he began to undo his pants and kicked off his boots. She wasn't the only flustered one, the other men were all confused, with maybe the exception of Levi who seemed more curious and slightly disgusted.

"Going for a run," he responded nonchalantly. A shuddering crack raced through his body as his bones began to grow and shift. Fur quickly covered his exposed hide. Eren's eyes changed color and shape as his skull morphed underneath his skin. While still somewhat humanoid, he yanked his scarf off to keep it from getting torn or choking him, and dropped to all fours. Once he'd fully taken shape, Eren raised his muzzle and howled.

"Holy shit!" Ulo exclaimed, falling back over. Eren looked down at the older man before giving him a concerned sniff. He flinched when Eren's nose got close. Ulo was holding his breath and his heart was hammering inside his chest.

"E-Eren?" He raised his gaze back up to Petra who'd turned pale.

"Sorry," he mumbled in the language of man, tail dropping slightly, "I should have told all of you about this sooner, it's your job to protect me, and others from me. I need to trust you more, but you need to know me more. I-I more than a human. I'm also a wolf."

"You're Sharp?" Ulo sputtered, lifting a finger to point lamely at Eren.

"Uh… yeah."

Petra slowly reached out a hand and started rubbing Eren's head, completely caught up in amazement, "Your fur is so… soft…"

"Not to ruin the moment," Levi snapped, "but we do need to keep moving." He had stooped over to pick up Eren's discarded clothes.

"Er, right." Ulo grabbed his own supplies and mounted Eren's horse. The wolf stretched briefly before resuming his position in the group's center. None of the horses appreciated such a large predator being so close but they stayed near enough. If they tried to move away Eren would growl a warning at them.

Feeling the stone beneath his paws was exhilarating, forest scents flooding into his open mouth. The pounding beat of horse hooves morphed into the breaths and scuffs of his fellow wolves as nostalgia took hold. He was home in Shiganshina's forest. His father's scent hit Eren's tongue, the ghostly image of Grisha running beside him dominated his mind. His instincts told him to turn off the path, to find something to sink his fangs into, to eat. Again jarred by the screams and sound of cannon fire behind him, Eren nearly stopped running. The image of home and family was shattered and Eren was once again thrust into a feeling of loneliness and fear.

Levi looked over his shoulder again. "That's my cue, Petra, take my horse's reins." Before anyone could protest or ask, well really only Eren was left in the dark, the grey-eyed man had shot off into the trees. He was heading back towards the fray.

They kept going for a time. A powerful roar tore through the air and deep inside Eren knew that whatever plan they'd made, it had just failed. His ears pressed back in worry and he huffed more rapidly.

Petra had somehow understood what he was feeling, reaching out a hand to pat his head. "Everything is going to be alright, Eren, trust me."

"Alright," the dire wolf huffed, though not entirely reassured.

The ground shook with heavy footsteps behind them. The female titan was right on their tail and Petra found herself panicking behind a calm demeanor. She wanted Eren to rely on them, after he'd given so much she needed to do the same. He was just a kid, it wasn't fair that all of this happened to him, to all those from Shiganshina. Her grip on her 3DM gear's handle tightened. The more she thought about it the angrier she became. Eren was twice removed from humanity because of titans like this one. The thinking ones.

There was a look shared between the senior scouts. They each rocked out of their saddles, drew their swords, and moved in on the attack. Without their riders to keep them in check the horses scattered into the woods and Eren was left to helplessly bark at them to come back.

The wolf's stomach lurched with each thunderous step of the female titan. His sensitive ears picked up the senior scouts voices, their pained cries, the crushing tearing sound of their bodies, the evidence of their sudden deaths. Eren's heart plummeted onto the upturned stones beneath his paws. The frantic motion of his limbs slowed to a stop and he drew his eyes in horror to the sights behind him. Once he stopped the female titan quickly caught up, standing just a few meters from him.

She hesitated, one hand extended slightly in his direction. A rage boiled off Eren's fur, each hair standing fully on end, his tail stuck stock-straight out behind him. Her scent was familiar, he'd smelt it many times around the training grounds. Like he could forget the girl who showed him a better way to fight. _Annie!_ The snarl that curved over his muzzle could not begin to express the hurt and wraith that struggled with in him. He gave voice to these feeling in a violent scream-like howl. A cacophony that was neither human nor wolf. Spatters of blood flew out of his throat onto the ground from the intensity of it.

Annie, startled by the sound, took a half step back. The light of titan transformation flashed over her face and she lifted a hand to block the gleam. Eren's titan let out a roar that sounded far more feral than she'd ever heard, and Annie realized just how different the suicidal bastard was. He stood a whole five meters taller with steaming stripped flesh, that generated sparks whenever he moved; his green-blue eyes were a solid glowing gold. Misshapen bone-like protrusions jabbed out of his joints and around his nose, ribbing over his muscles like an internalized armor. Spiky fur-like hair curled down his face and upper back. His hands and feet ended in claws and long wicked looking fangs took the place of his flat teeth.

Had she not know what Eren looked like before, she wouldn't have recognized his similar features at all. She had been unsure about Sharps presence only this transformation confirmed her gut feelings.

Annie reacted to a slight twitch in Eren's left hand, lifting her forearms just in time to intercept a blow aimed at her head.

The flesh on titan Eren's face pulled up in a grin, the row razor sharp teeth shifting open. His normal clicking- growling vocalizations modulated into rolling laughter. He gripped Annie's forearm and broke her guard with a shove backed by his full weight. Instead of letting her fall over, Eren hooked his arm around her right leg and lifted her over his head with a roar. Annie hardened her back in preparation for Eren throwing her down.

He didn't release his grip when he slammed her into the ground, not wanting to give her the chance to fight back. Eren pulled her back up and rushed her back into a tree, sinking his teeth into her neck before she could harden herself. Annie screamed, the pressure from his jaws compressing her human body. Eren yanked his head back, ripping free the entire front of her titan form's esophagus. In desperation she slammed a hardened fist onto his shoulder, shattering his arm. While his grip loosened enough for Annie to escape, Eren's arm was still operable.

Her eye's widened in realization yet again. The titan's arm was indeed broken, but the misshapen bone protruding from his body was flexible like cartilage, a secondary skeletal system holding the limb together and allowing him to continue moving it. For the next exchange, blows from Eren's injured arm were not as fast nor as strong but he was still capable of attacking. Annie was forced to stay on the defencive.

She lunged for his other arm in an attempt to break it as well, however small, spine-like hair that she'd not noticed on his forearm impaled her chest and hands. Eren lifted his arm upwards, hooking Annie on the spines and slamming her into the dirt.

Annie struck out at his face, smashing through his eye socket. Her hand was stopped by Eren grabbing her wrist; with a twisting push, he slammed it across her chest, seizing her newly intact throat like a vice with the other. On instinct she used her free hand to try and pry his off.

Eren dropped his weight onto her, lowering his face to her's and growling out a low roar, dripping with malice and contempt. Annie merely stared up into his glowing golden eyes, both perfectly intact. The same couldn't be said for the left side of Eren's face; while it was heavily damaged, much like his arm, the underlying bone armor had absorbed most of the impact, leaving flesh peeled away yet somehow still hanging on in a grisly display. Dread clutched in her real throat, adding to Eren's grip, and panic sent her heart hammering. She wasn't going to make it out of this forest alive, and she knew it. Eren was going to kill her. Eren was going to eat her.

Mikasa was only a short distance ahead of Levi as they raced through the trees. She'd heard Eren's roar echo through the wood and couldn't fight back rising concern. Levi had originally followed to bring her back, but after seeing Ulo's corpse changed tact. "Make her pay, Jaeger," he muttered under his breath.

What the two scouts saw when reaching the clearing wasn't what they'd expected. The Female titan was lifted into the air by her throat, body badly torn, her entire left leg was missing. What held her up was another titan similar in appearance to Eren but radically different. Though it too was damaged with a torn face, shoulder, and back, it was still able to move fully well and didn't seem that least bit hurt.

"Is that… Eren?" Mikasa had said it so softly Levi almost hadn't heard her.

"Seems so," he muttered, pulling up to a tree, "who else could it be?"

The female titan struggled for a few more seconds, mouth open like she was trying to scream. What they saw next would never leave their minds for the rest of their lives. Eren slammed the female titan against the nearest tree, biting into her side and tearing her open. She hardened her body in an attempt to stop him, however, his fanged teeth crushed the crystalline form. It badly damaged his jaw but Eren still did it.

This time she did manage a scream, Levi slammed hands over his ears to lessen the damage and the sound. She punched Eren in the already injured portion of his face. A loud crunch came before his agonized and enraged roar. She tried to strike him again, but he grabbed her wrist, his other hand seizing her exposed spine through the gap he'd made just seconds before. Eren hoisted her over his head and brought her down into his rising knee with as much force as he could muster.

His leg was damaged but still operable, the female titan on the other hand, had her spine shattered. Eren didn't stop there, stabbing his clawed hand into her chest, he pulled her apart. With the female titan's spine shattered her body was easily ripped in twain.

Levi focused his attention on the surrounding forest. Titans, lots of them, were quickly closing in on their location, and it was becoming increasingly obvious that Eren was running out of steam. Something, no someone, ripped their way out of the female titan's neck and shot off into the woods, Eren roaring angrily and trying to grab her. He stumbled however, his leg clearly unable to support his weight while moving.

"We need to get him out of here."

"Yeah," Mikasa leapt down from her perch, shooting a hook into Eren's shoulder and zipped down onto his back by the base of his neck. "Eren, common, we have to go!"

His shoulders shifted and he slapped a hand over the flesh concealing his real body. Levi got there just in time to pull Mikasa away. One of Eren's hands had come down right where she was a second ago and would have crushed her. "What the hell, Jaeger! Don't you recognize your own sister!"

He growled at Levi, standing up fully. The golden eyes dropped to his damaged leg as Eren focused on healing that first.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, Titan brat!"

" **L** _ **e**_ **a** _ **v**_ **e** _**m**_ **e** _**a**_ **lo** _ **ne**_ " Eren growled out.

Both Mikasa and Levi were left staring dumbfounded. Here was a titan shifter in some kind of monstrously grotesque form, looking more like a beast than a human, and it just talked. The first instance of a titan talking, displaying that they were capable of speech, and it was Eren being obstinate.

"What do you mean by that? There are titans practically on top of us and we need to get out of here!" Mikasa was the one that shouted this time. Though Levi shared a similar sentiment he would have used far more colorful language.

" **Go away.** " Eren snarled slamming a fist into the tree next to the scouts.

Mikasa forced Levi off and leapt onto Eren's shoulder, hugging her arms around the side of his neck. "Please, Eren, don't make me leave without you!"

" **Humans are all the same, you are all the same.** "

"Are you forgetting that you're human too, Jaeger!" Levi didn't have time to waste right now. The entire Legion would be lost at this rate. It looked like something occurred to the giant teen and he growled. His hand reached up and wrapped around Mikasa. She gave a startled grunt but Eren didn't hurt her.

" **Stay still and don't move.** " Before anyone could ask him to elaborate, Eren opened his mouth and gently placed Mikasa on his tongue. She fit with a decent amount of room so long as Eren didn't fully close his mouth.

"What the hell, Jaeger!" Levi almost sliced the hand that grabbed him. Eren grunted in irritation, placing the irate smaller male between a bony protrusion and his burning skin. Taking the titan's intention, Levi shot his hooks into Eren's shoulder.

The wolf, titan, human didn't immediately take off, instead dropping onto all fours, the bone protrusions providing the proper support for a quadrupedal run. He ran like a wolf might, digging in his legs and spreading his arms out in front pulling him along the ground so his legs could launch him forward again. Levi braced an arm over his face to keep the smoke rolling of Eren's body from getting in his eyes.

They were out of the forest quickly, making for the safety of the walls. Of course since no one quite knew what was happen, nor were they likely to recognize Eren, the youth's bursting through the treeline soiled the small clothes of those fortunate enough to have not seen the most titans. Even Erwin looked horrified.

"Don't shoot, it's just Eren!" Levi shouted as loud as he could, and word traveled quickly through the Legion. Once it was deemed that they had a safe distance from the titan's pursuing them they reformed into the column and Eren was convinced to come out his titan form, mostly by Armin and Mikasa. It was deemed from Levi's singed clothes and Mikasa's slightly burned appearance that Eren being completely naked wasn't strange. Though pulling him out had been a bit difficult. The flesh around his neck and shoulders was raised, a secondary rib cage-like structure formed out of the vertebrae that would prevent something the size of a titan from biting him out during a fight.

Eren's construct almost immediately dissolved. No longer held together by any form of will the heat melted it, bones crackling and the entire thing bursting into flames once Eren was clear. Fortunately Levi's horse had returned and Eren could put his clothes back on. There was something far more subdued about the youth, whether just exhaustion or something else, no one was sure.

"Eren?" The scout commander looked down at the sitting boy, there was something dead in his green-blue eyes. "Did you fight the female titan?"

"Yes."

"Do you have any idea who she might be?"

"It's Annie, I recognized her- fighting style."

"I see, Hanji will have more questions for you when we get back to the base, for now do your best to rest."

Eren didn't acknowledge what Erwin had said instead glaring at the ground. He'd allowed Mikasa to pull him to his feet. Once they were on the cart and moving back to the wall Eren lay down closing his eyes. Humans never understood pack mentality, it's a family, but there is something deeper to it. Everyone is part of each other. To join a pack is become an extension of everyone else in that pack, to feel their pain, know their joy, to empathize so deeply with them that you'd forget that you'd ever been someone yourself. It hurt, like one part of Eren's body had just maimed another, and there was no recovery from it. Annie, she was part of his pack, the quite strong type, the loner on the edge of the group but she could be warm, inviting to those she considered worth it. On more than one occasion they'd sat next each other, not saying anything, just enjoying the companionship.

When they sparred Eren could see her mind turning, anticipate it, her scent mingling with his as they both sharpened their skills for battle together, like two pups from the same litter. She was a sister to him in a way Mikasa wasn't. And she betrayed him, killed others for whom he felt the same strong loyalty, and that was unforgivable.

Eren clenched his fists underneath the legion cape Mikasa had spread over him. It sickened him how good it felt to rip Annie into pieces, how infuriated he'd felt when she ran away. He was a wolf, playing with his food, and the rabbit managed to escape. He'd even forgotten his other friends in the scouting legion, going so far as to attack Mikasa. Was he really just a wild beast in a cage, pretending that the bars were his friends? No! That's not how it's supposed to be!

The clanging of the gate shutting behind them as they passed under the great walls' protection rung hollowly in Eren's ears, like the boom of a metallic prison cell door. It felt suddenly closed in, claustrophobic, even though he'd never even left the walls entirely. Out there humans didn't tread. Out there it was just nature, and titans. Out there was his pack, and he was in here… and he could never trust humans so completely again. He would never let anyone that deep into his heart again, so that way he'd never have to feel this way again.

He looked at the faces of the humans as the cart plotted by. Two small human children looked at him, right at him, with wonderment in their eyes. They would grow up and undoubtedly join the scouting legion, or try to, that is if they even survived that long. Eren was overcome by a sudden despair on behalf of those tiny and innocent faces, so similar to his in the past. He'd become disenchanted with humans, not because they were cruel or selfish, that was every living thing in this world that demanded at fought tooth and nail for life, but that mankind was so unbelievably frail.

It occurred to Eren at once how much stronger he was than the hundreds of others that surrounded him. When he was ten, he'd killed two men like he was killing a ram. Even in a man's shape, he could still rip someone into pieces just like he had done to Annie's titan form. As a wolf he could do even more. His jaws were strong enough to bend steel when he was really pushed. Bones shattered like stale crackers. An ox would be an easy take down, assuming he could avoid its' horns.

A man needs a gun, or a sword, or even a rock to kill. All he'd need was his teeth, or even just his hands. If only briefly Eren entertained the idea of breaking Annie's neck, or maybe eating her alive, ripping her limbs off and consuming them while she watched. He'd shuddered, a look of sheer disgust covering his face at even thinking idly about such things. Humanity would call him a monster, but in reality, he'd feel no remorse, or even anything apart from contentedly full, and that scared him more than any titan ever could.

He'd become so human, he'd forgotten how to be a wolf, and now to be what he was born to be, a hunter, a predator, was terrifying.

Eren covered his face with a hand and laid down fully. Mikasa's palm placed gently against his shoulder only adding to the horrible feeling now twisting its way through his gut.


	5. Chapter 5

**Fallen Outcast- Thank you. Sorry I left this to sit for so long Dx**

 **Alexa & Guest- Again, sorry for leaving you guys hanging like that**

 **Chapter 5: Fight or Flight**

That night Eren didn't sleep. Everytime he closed his eyes the day's events plagued his mind with increasing persistence. He actually missed Levi's presence. The lack of cat in the air. No warm instance paw prodding at his side as a complaint. He'd just gotten used to it. Now Eren felt alone. His human pack no longer appealed to the mostly sleeping instincts; his wolf pack miles away separated from him by a wall.

If ever he drifted off his nightmare consisted of two perspectives. Him as a human and him as a wolf. Both sides of his nature trying to hunt down and kill the other. He'd seen himself die a hundred different ways and it was eating him from the inside out.

A lump of tension bobbed in Eren's throat as he tried to swallow down his still racing heart. Keep on like this would kill him and he knew it. He couldn't be both man and wolf at the same time. Something was going to give.

* * *

Levi paced in his quarters, Hanji groggily sipping on tea, still in her pajamas. He'd called her in to discuss the changes to Eren's titan form as well as her observation on his condition. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Eren was suffering, though it felt deeper than betrayal humans could experience.

It had been impossible to talk to her for the first hour after they got back and if he didn't know any better he'd think Hanji was gratifying herself. Hanji wasn't like that though, she was just an eccentric, easily excitable scientist. "I've done some research on wolves and pack interactions. I think that Eren is experiencing something that humans wouldn't be able to conceive of."

Her voice jumped Levi out of his thoughts and he threw Hanji a curious look.

"Well for one, your report on his behavior with your previous squad indicated that he'd finally let down his emotional walls and then not only did they die because he 'trusted' them, another human he'd become attached to was the one who'd done it."

"Anyone would be angry after that."

"Oh, I don't doubt that Eren is furious, but he's experiencing something that we can't accurately describe. By hating Annie I believe it's reflecting on his own human half."

"What do you mean?"

"A titan form shouldn't change that dramatically. We had Eren shift after some distance from the event and he didn't look like he had in his fight with Annie." Hanji placed her cup down, serious and quite. "There was _something_ that had to have just snapped. Eren… I don't know…"

"Are you saying that he wasn't anything more than a titan in that moment?" He could cut the tension in the air with a knife at this point.

Hanji paused, the taunt set of her shoulders only fixed a seed of worry in Levi's mind. "I'm saying if he continues like this. If no one intervenes and pulls him back from the edge… He might just abandon humanity." She looked right into Levi's eyes, desperate for him to understand her worry. "A creature like Eren is to dangerous to let live in that scenario."

"I understand." There was something cold in Levi's voice that neither scout seemed to understand.

"We need to tell Erwin."

* * *

Connie paced in his room. Jean, Bertholdt, Armin, and Reiner were staring at him like he had three heads. _That would be pretty cool actually. Ugh! Not the time._ He grunted to himself worriedly.

Jean finally snapped at him. "Gods' sake Connie just go to sleep!"

"Don't you get it at all?" He rounded on the taller boy, his wolvish savagery prompting him to bare fangs he no longer had. "Annie betrayed us! Eren had to _fight_ her and you saw what that did to him. We have to do something about this!"

"And what do you propose we do? Run out into titan territory like a bunch of suicidal half wits?" Jean bit right back, unaware of the stress that Connie was suddenly able to perceive.

"Maybe we could talk to Eren?" Armin spoke softly but his voice carried a strange authority that Connie jumped on eagerly, much to the blonde's surprise.

"I'm going to go get Sasha and the girls! This is going to be an intervention!"

"A what?" Bertholdt didn't get an answer as Connie had sprinted out of the room.

The remaining boys exchanged a long thoughtful look before Reiner sighed reservedly. "Well, we aren't getting sleep any time soon, so might as well..." He trailed off, rising to his feet and paced out too.

"Fine," Jean muttered bitterly.

* * *

"That's right, c'mon everyone's waiting." Connie practically dragged Eren into the kitchen

"Alright." Eren growled slightly and allowed himself to be guided by the wrist. He knew with how excited Connie was that there wasn't any getting out of this. Though he hadn't been expecting to see a mix of sleepy and concerned faces that greeted him. Armin, Mikasa, Reiner, Bertholdt, Sasha, Jean, Krista, and Ymir were all seated at that large oak table. Two spaces left open near the door for the boys to sit. "What's all this?"

"An intervention!" Connie puffed up his chest with pride.

"It's nearly one in the morning, Connie," Eren deadpanned back with _negative_ enthusiasm. To his credit, Connie only looked a little like someone had nipped his tail. Eren didn't want to tell anyone else what was up, though he'd been a fool to not think Connie would notice.

"There's something wrong with you though a-and you need help, Eren." The bald cadets voice was surprisingly shy. Connie hoped he was doing the puppy dog eyes well enough to change Eren's mind.

With an irritated groan Eren dropped into a seat and stared at the faces around him. They all stared back, no one knowing what to say, though Mikasa definitely want to say something.

"Eren?" Armin shifted nervously and placed the wolf boy's herb bag on the table. "We, uh, had time to run through a game plan for this, but I think we can all agree just talking isn't going to help."

Eren cocked an eyebrow at the mastermind, shifting his glance over all the humans.

"We heard from Connie what is was like being a wolf. How easy it was to understand emotions and we thought it might… help?" Sasha shrunk into her seat as Eren gave her a hard look.

"What."

Ymir leaned in, hugging Christa closer to her. "We know you don't want to use that weird flower you have but if it's all of us, for just few hours, then you shouldn't have to use _that_ much of it right?"

It wasn't really a question and Eren's withering glare didn't seem to faze her at all. He really didn't want to admit it but having a real wolf pack around, even if it was for one night, would actually help him a lot. Especially if they all retained some pack mentality after like Connie had. Then maybe he wouldn't need to be either man or wolf, he could just be Eren, and they would know.

His thoughts of course were not so concise and he left them hanging for nearly ten minutes while his tired mind slugged along. Eren took a deep breath, a slight smile prying at his face despite himself. "I'm going to need a teapot, some tinder, and a mortar."

There was a ripple of nervous excitement through his human friends. Even Jean seemed curious. With a few seconds of organizing who was carrying what and all the cadets slipped out of the castle into the lively woods just beyond.

Eren had run a track around here often enough to find a stream relatively quickly. Setting up the fire was easy, and within seconds Eren was preparing the herbs. The cadets all sitting on the bank, watching in earnest. At one point he heard Jean grunt in disgust. He had chewed a herb and spat it into the mixture making his tongue turn black briefly.

The tea was set to boil and with a sigh, Eren stood and started stripping down. The reactions were mixed, but generally confused. Jean and a few of the girls actually snapped at him. Armin looked intrigued if anything. Creepy. "Look, if you want to run back to the castle naked you're welcome to it. But if you don't want to destroy your clothes, I suggest you get used to being naked now. Tea's almost done anyways and then you'll have fur to keep you warm."

Connie was the first to follow suit, muttering something about how his favorite shirt had been reduced to linen strips post transformation. Armin followed next, and Mikasa. That got Jean to participate a bit more. Reiner and Bertholdt just shrugged and also undressed. Sasha was the last one to work out of her clothes.

Eren had knelt next to the pot while everyone unconsciously scooted closer to the fire. The cups were poured and passed shortly thereafter. It only just seemed to hit everyone then that Eren didn't have a cup.

"What about you though?" Christa murmured.

"I don't need it." Eren set to putting out the fire. Connie down the tea in nearly three gulps, flinching at his burnt tongue. The action rippled through the cadets, all drinking quickly as the taste was far from pleasant.

It was quiet.

"So when do we know it's star-" Reiner cut himself off with a pained grunt. The cup in his hand dropped and he slumped to the side.

"It affects everyone a little differently. Depends on metabolism." Eren's response was more for the others at this point. Thick dusty tan fur was already crawling out of Reiner's skin. The bulky mass of his muscles being forced into a different shape while his bones shifted underneath.

Christa was the next one shifting, followed by Connie and Armin. Soon everyone was somewhere between a wolf and a human. Eren let out the breath he'd been holding, feeling his shape ripple and morph under his skin. Then all at once the clearing was full of wolves, each a different size and color. Each recognizable in their own way.

Connie was the fastest to get on his feet again, howling in delight and flexing his legs in front of him. "This is so cool guys! Didn't I tell you?" He yipped and bounced on his front paws.

Eren huffed deeply, drawing attention back to himself. The other wolves gapped, for they were the size of regular wolves, Bertholdt easily the biggest only coming up to Eren's shoulder.

"You-" Jean whined in frustration, "You are Sharp!"

"Yep." Eren clicked his canines together blithely. He was enjoying watching the gears turning in Jean's head. The dust clay colored wolf had long, skinny legs and an elongated, broad snout. "Even as a wolf you're still a horseface unfortunately." Eren flicked his tail teasingly.

"Eren, you," Christa's wonderment had drawn his attention to her diminutive, fluffy gold form. "You saved our lives back in the snowstorm at the winter training grounds… I-I can't even begin t-"

"Please don't thank me for that, Christa. You're part of the pack. It's just what we do."

"Annie was part of the pack too, wasn't she." Bertholdt's ears press back against his head, lips pulled up slightly in a nervous display. If he's not careful he'd easily become the beta, not a good position, but a necessary one. Eren briefly hoped for the quite boy's sake their pack was still human enough not to do anything awful.

"Yes, she was." He kept his tone low, masking how the other perceived his intense emotional storm. Though it was clear to all he was fuming. The tip of his tail twitched slightly as did his nose. _That_ was the scent of a deer. Eren licked his chops once. "Late night snack anyone?"

Sasha had taken to scenting like a fish to water, already slinking into the bust to follow the musty reek of food, mouth slightly open. Eren turned and followed, keeping his weight more balanced than the other. Only he and Connie didn't have trouble walking at the moment.

Mikasa was the first to get the hang of the new movement, quickly coming up to his side and sliding her jaw along his shoulder in silent greeting. "This is... so much more than I could have expected, Eren. How did you stay human for so long with the moon calling so loudly?"

"Well it hasn't been easy." The titan shifter nearly froze as the full moon's light burned down through the tree. "Ah, I almost forgot that it's tonight."

Reiner trotted up by his other side, impressively large for the average wolf and definitely broad shouldered. "You mean when everyone goes out to look for you while you hunt?" The tan wolf's ears swiveled forward, eagerly waiting for a reply.

"Yep." Eren brushed his tail over the other's shoulders as they all passed, every wolf coming to a halt at the edge of a clearing. There were quite a few grazers out at night. Connie wormed his way up to Eren's side, tail low, to brush his snout under the larger wolf's chin.

"How should we run this, Alpha?"

Eren knelt into the grass, working through the skills of his pack. His size and strength could take down one all by himself, and to feed everyone, two would likely be the right number for a kill. "Sasha, keep down wind and pick out a weak one, Jean, you'll chase the one she picks and Reiner and Bertholdt will ambus it in that gorse bush over there." He gesture to the choke point with his nose. "Remember to go for the throat and don't let it gore you. Better we lose a deer than lose a wolf." Eren looked over to the others. "Connie, Armin, when I give the signal, rush in there and scatter them, right down the middle. Ymir, Mikasa, lay in wait over by the birch, if one runs past you, grab it. Christa, you're on look out for anything that might interfere with the hunt, including humans."

"What are you going to do?" Jean snarled in an arrogant tone.

"I," Eren stood to his ready stance, teeth bared in anticipation of the kill, "am going to down that buck. The one with the nice crown of horns on him."

"B-by yourself? Sasha squeeked, leaning forward on her paws.

Eren didn't answer, instead giving an authoritative flick of his ear that sent the others scattering to their positions.

* * *

"Would you look at that," Erwin breathed, positively mystified by the wolf pack stalking a group of deer. "I was always partial to wolves Levi. they are fascinating creatures capable of savagery and intense loyalty. To witness a hunt in person is a once in a lifetime opportunity seeing as they aren't usually native to this side of the wall."

Levi on the other hand was a mixture of confused, thankful, and fairly upset. _Great, more of them._ He was also aware of a twitch in his back that would have whisked a tail back and forth in irritation had he still possessed a tail. His irritation was stopped by the smallest, wolf spotting them, her shimmering blue eyes peering out of the brush. He could only guess as to which of Eren's friends this was, but he recognized the gleam of higher intelligence in her eyes.

A loud snap called his attention away as the grove exploded into motion. Eren's wolf form easily standing out as he took down a buck on his own. Four others teamed up in pairs to grab at others. Erwin breathed a chuckle from where he knelt on the trail. "I assume that is Sharp? The one all the cadets try to find every full moon?"

"Yes, sir." Levi moved forward, sending a warning glare at the golden wolf, who in turn bolted down the hill. Eren lifted his muzzle to the sky and howled, the others joining in the song. It stirred something feral and still animal in Levi's heart but he refused to let it show in his face. "Oi, you furry bastard."

The direwolf's ears swiveled around before his head, locking his golden eyes onto Levi. They still had an uncanny power to stop him in his tracks. He could see the fur rising on Eren's shoulders, actually catching Erwin gasp in slight surprise from behind him. The alpha bared his teeth, tail sock straight behind him, and shoulders up as he approached. Levi knelt down, driven by some little voice in his head to make himself as non threatening as possible right now.

Even more wolves came out of the forest, nine of them, two or three teaming up to drag two more deer into the clearing. He recognized Connie too, who dropped the leg he was tugging on to stare at Levi too.

With how erratic Eren's behavior had been of late, the man was increasingly wary of any sudden movements from the youth. The wolf's snout getting within inches of his face, and by consequence so were all those very long, likely very sharp teeth. When Eren gave his shoulder a prod though, he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, lifting a hand to scratch around Eren's chin and ears, like one might greet a friendly stray. "Nice to see you out and getting some exercise." Levi stood, a little perturbed at the remaining difference in height. "You had Hanji worried, brat." He grabbed at one of Eren's ear and gave a firm tug.

The wolf boy pulled his head away and shook it, puffing out an irritated grunt. The others pressed in at this point, greeting him with some familiar causion. Erwin made his way down into the clearing himself, holding out a hand for Eren to sniff.

"I wouldn't do that, Erwin. He might bite your arm off."

"Nonsense," the scouting commander chastised. "You're already familiar with humans, aren't you?"

Levi flinched.

Eren's eyes narrowed and he belted a bark right in Erwin's face, surprising the man enough the he jumped back, tripping over Connie, who it seemed moved intentionally behind him. The alpha let out a sound somewhere between a bark and a laugh, turning to the buck he'd downed. Once Eren stared tearing into food, the other wolves lost interest, though they all seemed slightly hesitant at first. Except for one black and white siberian patterned she wolf who took a spot near Eren almost immediately. All tails up, the occasional snarl or spat between two when the got a bit to close. A general tug of war trying to tear off chunks. Levi sat next to Erwin in the grass, a slight raised eyebrow and an otherwise emotionless face.

"He seems a bit too smart if you ask me," the blonde pushed himself up onto his knees with a huff.

"That's because he is, sir. Smarter than a lot of people out there, that's for sure." Levi stared at the wolves for a long time before finally off loading what needed to be said. "Both Hanji and I feel it's important, Erwin. Eren is humanity's hope against the titans, this betrayal might drive him away from human."

"I don't see how that would happen, Levi. Annie is also a titan shifter, one that killed his comrades. That should spur him on."

"It would if Annie wasn't part of his pack."

"...Levi?"

The shorter man gestured to Sharp, "He'll tell you himself, you are his commander after all."

"Are you saying that Eren used that Flower of Human Transformation on himself? To turn into Sharp?"

"I'm say he doesn't need it."

Erwin's brow dipped in that oh so familiar calculating expression of his. "Eren, come here!" He called to the wolves. Oh, that was certainly a flick of the ear, and the tense way his tail flicked, Eren definitely heard. The direwolf gave an aggravated snarl and trotted away from his half finished deer, the she wolf that had been eating with him, joined by Connie and another light yellow-tan wolf.

'Sharp' came to a halt a foot in front of Erwin, tail raised in a defiant manner and ears pressed back. He swung his burning gaze towards Levi. "Can't fault me if he more or less figured it out on his own, Eren." The wolf puffed, the look in his eyes something like 'I'm calling that bs.'

"So, you really are Eren then." Erwin stood, coming just shy of eye level with the titan shifter. "How did you manage to pull this off? That Flower of yours?"

"No, sir." Eren puffed, dropping into a seated position while Erwin's eyebrows shot up. "My father, Grisha, is a direwolf, while my mother i- ... was human. As a half bread I can change forms on a whim."

"So, you could choose to be human or a wolf at your discretion..." That was Erwin's plotting face, for sure. Levi quietly swore to himself.

"Well, there is a limit to common sense, sir." Eren flicked his tail over his paws, appearing just a bit on the regal side. "Like, obviously I'm not wearing any clothes right now and none of my clothes would survive if I just desiced to switch while strolling down the street, not that doing so is already an idiotic thing."

"I see where the concern comes from, Levi. This does put us in a rather... interesting position." The commander crossed his arms and stared for a few moments longer into Eren's golden eyes. "If you were to shift into a titan right now, do you think it would have a similar appearance to that in the forest of giant trees?"

Eren's ears flicked forward then laid back again. "I'm not sure, sir."

"Well, keep your being a wolf a secret for now, Eren. I'm sure you'd appreciate that and it could always be useful later." With that Erwin turned on his heels and made a brisk pace back for the castle.

Eren and Levi stared at each other for a minute. You couldn't sleep either?" The wolf nodded in response but did not speak. "How long will it last this time?"

"A couple of hours, should be done by day break."

"I'll inform the cooks to save the rations then."

Eren chuckled, "Yeah..."

The steel eyed man observed the youth for a few more moments. "You can have humans just as wild as wolves, y'know. Hell, I might not be a wolf per say, but I can probably understand you better than any of the other commanding officers at this point."

The only response was Eren dropping his chin on top of Levi's head. He thought he did fairly well hiding his bristling. "Thank you, Heichou." Eren trotted back to the other wolves, rallying the group now that they had more or less cleaned all the deer caught to bones. Man, those kids could eat.

* * *

Eren burned through to his toes, quietly stewing at Erwin and Levi, though he found himself unable to really be angry. Humans can care for him, but that wasn't a guarantee he'd feel the same. Mikasa nipped at his tail lightly causing him to jump. "You seem distracted."

"Just, thinking about what the commander wanted from me."

Armin cocked his head with a whine. "So, now Erwin knows your secret.

"Seems like a lot of people started figuring that out recently." Eren stretched forward with his front legs. He flicked his tail up before Mikasa could nip it again. Why was she so flirty all of a sudden? Either way, the sun would be up soon and... "Where are Connie and Sasha?"

The others look around with confused rumbles. He just shook his head.

"We've only got a few more hours of this before it all wears off. Meet back on the back where we stoad our clothes once you start to feel your tail tingling. That's the first sign it's wearing off." Everyone split on their separate ways, only Armin and Mikasa remaining by his side. Eren flopped down on his side, watching Levi as he too walked away. "Looks like it's just us again, hu guys? You've been there from the beginning. Now, I guess you can finally start to understand."

Both of his long time friends, his family, nestled down in the grass beside him to watch the stairs roll by.

Having his wild soul mended a little by friends that can fathom his instinctual urges better, Eren found he may be able to cope with his humanity. Like this, it wasn't picking one side of himself over another, he could just be Eren Jaeger and everything that entailed. He saw the glimmer of the stars shining down on him, and somewhere very very far away he could hear other direwolves crying out into the sky. Somewhere, Grisha was with them. Somewhere his mother looked down on him and smiled. Somewhere in that great vastness of being, everything that ever was, everything that ever came from the stars showed radiantly down on him. History had it's eyes on him. Not just humans, but his ancestors, those wolves of his father's line that came before. They are all counting on him.

Eren smiled to himself. "No pressure guys."

"Hu?"

"Nothing, Armin. Do you guys want to know the best place to watch the sunrise? I can show you."


End file.
